Quantum Entanglement
by brandy01
Summary: After seven years abroad, Hermione returns to England after being assiged an important case by the firm she is employed by, and comes preilously close to falling for the one man she had no idea she could ever love. Faced with some tough decisions, she strives to follow the correct path.
1. Chapter 1: Relocation

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Genevieve for her help as my beta for this story.

* * *

The click of her heels echoed as she walked along the marble floor through the quiet hallway.

Hermione Granger glanced around the hall a little nervously, wondering why there were so few people in the Ministry of Magic that day. It was a regular working day like any other, and yet there were so few people in the halls or in any of the departments. She wondered if it had always been that empty, however it seemed busier because she had been younger. Or perhaps it was that she had become used to the exuberance and bustle of Paris and now found London less exciting and quiet.

After the war, many places in Wizarding Europe had calmed significantly. She thought that because she spent the entirety of her young adult life chasing dark wizards and traipsing around the countryside, she was left with an inaccurate impression of the world. Shrugging off the feeling, she focussed on the task of arriving at her destination, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, on time. Hermione was eager to get her meeting with the Head Auror over and done with as soon as she was able.

After her final year at Hogwarts, Hermione had immediately left for France to study Wizarding Law at the University of Paris. Graduating three years later, she had been offered a job working for a British Wizarding Law firm that had an office based in the French capital city. Two weeks ago, her firm assigned her to work in their head office in London. Delighted to be returning home after living in France for almost seven years, Hermione had agreed to be relocated and bought herself a beautiful Victorian, multi-story apartment located in Hadley Wood, in the northern reaches of London.

Earlier this morning, her boss had given Hermione an extremely important case file. She was determined to do well, especially as it had been hinted that her name might be offered up for a position as a partner in the firm if she proved capable of handling high-profile cases.

Picking up the pace, her heels clicked even louder against the floor in her haste.

Moments later, she arrived at the door to the Department, opened it and slipped into the office. Inside, people were talking loudly to other another, so unlike all of the other Ministry Departments. Of all of them, it made sense that this one would be louder and more chaotic. The business they were in was often unstable and unsafe and it took a particular type of character to work in any sort of law enforcement. Hermione had found that it was much the same as it was in France, so this would be familiar to her at least.

She walked straight over to what she assumed was the reception desk, if the blonde witch sitting behind it was any indication.

'I'm here for an appointment with Kingsley Shacklebolt if you please,' Hermione announced primly.

'Name?' the woman said rather rudely, not looking up from the stack of paperwork in front of her.

'Hermione Granger,' she replied curtly, frowning.

'Ah yes, you do have an appointment,' the blonde said snidely. 'Go on through to the office at the back. Auror Shacklebolt is expecting you.'

Hermione nodded, even though she was sure the woman was deliberately avoiding making eye contact. She strode past the reception desk, heading through the maelstrom that was the Department of MLE. There were desks littered all around the room with simple dividers separating them. Paper planes were flying through the air from all over the place as the Aurors were completing their paperwork to submit to other Departments.

Hermione delighted in the chaos as she made her way through it to Kingsley's office. While she enjoyed the peace that came with being free over a mad, evil overlord, she often found that life was a little too quiet sometimes. She finally reached the back of the room and found that there was a separate office for the Department head. The wooden blinds on the window were shut, and the wooden door with Kingsley's name attached to it was closed.

She lifted a hand up and knocked clearly on it three times before standing back and waiting to be allowed entrance.

She heard footsteps and laughter before a moment later the door swung inwards and three men appeared in front of her. Kingsley first offered her a beaming smile before he stood aside to let the two others out. Before she even realised what was happening, a pair of familiar arms and a very recognizable shock of orange hair swept her up into a tight hug. She returned the hug a little stiffly before Ron Weasley finally set her back on her feet.

'What are you doing in London, Hermione?' Ron asked in surprise without even so much as a "hello."

Hermione smiled and shook her head. 'I live here now,' she answered. 'I was transferred home by the firm I work for. I actually only finished moving a few days ago.'

'It is good to have you back, Hermione,' Kingsley said, sticking a hand out for her to shake.

She accepted the handshake with a polite nod before looking past Ron to see who the third person in the office had been.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she finally recognised the face. If it hadn't been for the hazel eyes and slightly crooked nose, she would never have recognised Neville Longbottom as he stood before her. The years had been kind to him. She could see that he had grown out of his slightly chubby teenage phase and had matured spectacularly into this older specimen. He stood a good head taller than her, his broad shoulders were squared and he tucked his hands into the pockets of the fitted trousers he was wearing.

He wore his wavy brown hair a little longer than he had at Hogwarts, and it was swept back from his forehead in a way that suited him. He smiled at her look of stunned disbelief. She saw that he must have gone to some pains to have his teeth straightened some time since she'd been gone. Just from looking at him she could tell that he would not be skin and bones beneath his clothes – there were clearly defined muscles beneath the fabric of the button-down shirt that was tucked into his pants. His forearms in particular looked very, well, muscular.

'Hello, Hermione,' he said, walking over to her and pulling her into a hug. 'It's good to see you again.'

Hermione shook herself mentally so that she was focussed on the rest of the room once more and returned his embrace. 'It's good to see you too, Neville,' she replied. 'I had no idea you worked at the Ministry.'

'I had no idea you had returned from living abroad, so we're even on that score,' he replied with a smirk that was so unlike the timid boy she had attended Hogwarts with.

She caught a flash of something in his eyes as he spoke then, but shrugged it off and turned her focus to Kingsley. She was there to work after all. The last thing she needed was to be distracted from her job when she was so close to accomplishing her career goals.

'I understand you were expecting me here this morning,' she told the Head Auror to which he nodded in response.

'I believe your assistant owled the Department a few days ago to arrange the meeting,' he answered. 'If you'd like to follow me into my office, we'll have our discussion now.'

Hermione nodded before turning to address Neville and Ron. 'I supposed I'll have a chance to catch up with the two of you at a later date,' she said with a smile. 'Now that I live here I'd like to know all of the news.'

'I'm free to have lunch with you after your meeting,' Ron offered. 'Ginny will be there too if you'd like. She'd love to see you.'

Hermione nodded and with a wave, she followed Kingsley into his office. As the Auror closed the door, she caught one last glimpse of Neville who was still gazing at her with a strange smile curving his mouth. She averted her gaze immediately and took a seat in the chair directly opposite Kingsley when he sat down at his desk.

'Now, as I understand it, you have been assigned the Malfoy case by those who employ you?' Kingsley asked as he opened the case file she gave him to read.

'That is correct,' she answered.

'They must really trust you,' he said with a deep chuckle. 'This is an enormous case; one I would entrust only my finest Auror to assist you with.'

'I appreciate that you are willing to assist me with this, Kingsley,' she said with a smile. 'I understand that it is a huge sacrifice on your part, especially as your Department is already one of the busiest in the Ministry.'

Kingsley waved her off. 'Not at all, Hermione,' he said cheerfully. 'I am more than happy to lend assistance. Am I to understand that your employers are being paid quite a large sum of money to pursue this case?'

Hermione chuckled dryly. 'More than large,' she said. 'It's more like a small fortune. Draco is determined to see his father allowed out of Azkaban on early parole. It is my dubious pleasure to be the one who has to make sure that happens.'

'This is going to be a hard one, I wont lie to you,' he said bluntly. 'Lucius Malfoy has more red in his ledger than most of the Death Eaters in Azkaban and every other Wizarding prison in the world.'

Hermione frowned at that, knowing it to be the truth. She had read over the preliminary reports on his wrongdoings during the first reign of Tom Riddle, which those readings alone had taken her days. She still had the whole second reign to read through before she could even start trying to build a case. There was still material she had not yet accessed due to the Ministry's strict policy on distribution of information. The only way she was going to be able to get a hold if it was if she was working directly with MLE.

This was why she was sitting before Kingsley in the office in the first place. She knew that it was not his fault that the bureaucracy was filled with administrative idiots who liked to make everyone else's job a living nightmare because they were unsatisfied with their own mundane, joyless lives. She fiddled with the edge of her skirt as she waited for Kingsley to finish reading through the file. She was not sure who would be assigned to help her, but she certainly hoped that whoever it was, she was not going to be stuck doing all of the grunt work on her own.

'Well, it looks like you'll be able to make a fairly solid case if you know what you are doing,' Kingsley said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

'So, who is it that will be helping me with my case?' she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Hermione hoped to Merlin that it wasn't going to be Ron. She had spent seven years of her life trying to motivate Ron to do his schoolwork and she was not about to spend the next few months of her life trying to get him to help her with the Malfoy case. He would be next to useless. Not to mention, she and Ron had gone through a particularly nasty break-up before she had left for France, which had resulted in something of a rift in their friendship. They two of them just did not work well together.

In fact, the rift in their friendship was perhaps the reason why Ron had been so surprised to see her that day. She hadn't bothered to inform him of her return due to a lack of caring on her part. Ron's greeting hug earlier had been more than enough to reassure her that he had moved past being a great bloody prat. Perhaps they could resume their friendship now that they had had some space apart from one another? Shaking herself from her thoughts, she resumed listening to Kingsley as he spoke.

'Why, Neville, of course,' Kingsley said.

'Neville will be working with me?' she said, not quite sure she had heard him correctly.

'Of course,' Kingsley repeated. 'I suppose this may come as something of a shock to you, but Neville is the second in charge of the department – my deputy as it were.'

Hermione sat in stunned silence. She had no idea what to do with herself. So many things had changed in the world she had once been a large part of. When had Neville become an attractive, confident department head in Magical Law Enforcement? Her world felt like it was being flipped upside down and it was making her head begin to throb.

'So before I walked in here today, Neville already knew that he would be working with me on this case?' she asked.

Kingsley nodded. 'I informed him shortly before you walked in,' he replied.

'Did Ron know too?'

She was relieved when he shook his head in the negative. 'I had just concluded business with Neville when Ron walked in to ask a few questions about his own current assignment. I've actually agreed to allow him to act as an escort for Lucius Malfoy when it will be required for him to be brought to London from Azkaban.'

'I understand,' Hermione said through gritted teeth. So she would have to work with Ronald at some point. She just hoped it would not have to happen too often.

'Not to worry, Hermione,' Kingsley said with a reassuring smile. 'I am already aware of your history with the youngest Weasley boy. It's likely that the only times Lucius will need to be brought to London is for the preliminary hearing and the final hearing once you have managed to wrap your case up.'

Hermione smiled and nodded at him gratefully. 'Thank you, Kingsley,' she said politely. 'I am extremely grateful to you. You've already been such an incredible help to me today.'

'Just doing my job, Hermione,' he said.

After a few more minutes, their meeting came to an end and Kingsley escorted Hermione to the door. She left after shaking his hand once more and made her way though the cacophony that was the office of Magical Law Enforcement once more. She spotted Neville by the door talking to another Auror on her way out and was surprised when his mouth curved into that mysterious smile from earlier. She offered him a shy, uncertain smile back before that familiar red hair came into view. Ron stood in front of her, blocking her view of their old school friend.

'Ready to go for lunch?' Ron asked.

'All right,' she replied, following him through the large front doors.

Unable to help herself, as she walked out of the office she turned to look over her shoulder once more. Neville was nowhere to be found.

* * *

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2: Resources

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Thanks to Genevieve for her help with this chapter.

* * *

She entered the Ministry of Magic that morning wearing her best skirt and blouse underneath her deep purple work robes, heels clicking in their usual manner down the slightly busier corridor.

After living in Paris for so long, Hermione had become very particular about certain things. Her taste in clothing and shoes had tended to lean towards the more couture and expensive side of fashion. It was extremely fortunate for her that she had a rather large disposable income at her disposal to indulge in this habit she had developed. The unfortunate side was that she often felt out of place whenever she returned home to the UK where the clothing style was rather more limited and reserved.

Even though she stood out in her fashionable clothing from the European mainland, she didn't mind. She enjoyed being different.

Brushing a stray curl that had escaped from the complicated French braid she had put her still riotously curly hair in that morning, she continued down the hall to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As she walked, she noticed there were a lot more people milling about than there had been three days before. A lot of them whispered to each other as she walked by. Hermione ignored them. She had developed quite a thick skin when it came to gossiping busybodies. They were everywhere she went after all, and simply being Harry Potter's best friend was still enough to get them all talking.

On her arrival at the office, Hermione bypassed the blonde at the front desk, feeling the burn of her glare as she blatantly ignored the woman. She smiled inwardly. Hermione got some satisfaction from knowing that it annoyed the woman to be treated rudely. Retribution served, she continued wading through the mess of desks and paperwork, heading to Kingsley's office. She had a meeting scheduled with him that morning and she intended to be there on time.

She reached her hand up to knock on the door and was surprised when it opened before she even had a chance. Following the figure in front of her from the bottom up, she had a chance to take in the pinstriped black pants, dark blue fitted shirt and the casually swept-back hair of Neville Longbottom. His mouth was curved up in a smile that she returned a little shyly, annoyed at herself by how the man in front of her made her so flustered.

'Neville, good morning,' she greeted cheerfully.

'Hello, Hermione,' he replied, stepping back so that she could enter the office. 'I take it you have a meeting with Kingsley?'

She nodded. 'I certainly am,' she answered, walking past him into the room.

'Ah, Hermione!' Kingsley said before any more words could pass between them. 'I hope you don't mind that I have asked Neville to join us here this morning?'

'Not at all,' she said graciously.

Kingsley gestured for them to both take a seat. Hermione sat down in one of the chairs across from him while Neville waited until she was seated comfortably before sitting down himself. She knew that she was most likely flushed, unable to explain why it was that being around her old school friend was making her feel so uncomfortable. She still couldn't believe how much he had changed. Over the weekend she had expressed this opinion to Harry when she had visited him in Hogsmeade. He had laughed and her and told her that she was ridiculous – Neville had always looked that way in his opinion.

She didn't take anything he said about their old friends seriously – Harry still had a hard time noticing when his wife got a new haircut.

He did, however, agree with Hermione when she made the observation about the change in Neville's personality, particularly his new confidence and the way he held himself. According to Harry, after reorganising the movements of Dumbledore's Army in his seventh year, killing Nagini, and helping bring about the fall of Tom Riddle, Neville had come into his own. After they had finished school, he joined the Auror training program to follow in his parent's footsteps. Without Severus Snape looming over him, he actually managed to excel in potions and earned himself an honorary N.E.W.T.

But as she sat beside him in Kingsley's office, Hermione still found it amazing to think that seven years was enough to change eighteen years of habit.

'So, I have been able to complete the official paperwork that the Ministry Administration Office requires in order for Neville to access the information you will require,' Kingsley said, interrupting her train of thought.

'That's excellent, thank you,' she replied with a smile.

'You will be able to go to the Ministry Archives today if you would like to go through the files down there,' he continued. 'The main problem is that while the Ministry has quite a stringent policy on submitting paperwork, they are extremely lax when it comes to filing that paperwork correctly. You will have quite a job ahead of you.'

'Brilliant,' Hermione said, sarcasm evident in her tone.

Kingsley and Neville both chuckled, filling the room with the sound of their deep, rumbling voices. 'I did warn you that this path you have chosen would be a hard one,' the Head Auror said bluntly.

'Don't worry too much, Hermione,' Neville said, drawing her focus to him once more. 'I'll be there to assist you for as long as you require. It's a bit of a slow time of year in MLE right now so I will not be missed in the office too much.'

Hermione nodded, fighting the blush that was threatening to make an appearance. 'I hope that this will not take you away from the Department for too long,' she replied with a dip of her head.

'Now, I have a lot of business to attend to, so the two of you should get going and start on your work,' Kingsley announced, dismissing them.

Hermione and Neville both stood, heading for the exit. He opened the door and allowed her to leave the room first. Without a word to each other they left the MLE offices and made their way to the nearest lift to go down to the Archives. A few minutes later they arrived at the front desk. The woman sitting behind it was older with grey hair pulled back in a severe bun. She had glasses perched on the end of her nose and looked down at Hermione with a sneer at the corner of her mouth.

'We're here to search the Archives for some information,' Neville said pulling a sealed envelope from his pocket and handing it to her receptionist. 'Auror Kingsley has authorised it.'

The woman sniffed and opened the envelope, pulling out the letter within. Her eyes looked over the letter through the narrow slits before she looked down at them again and nodded curtly.

'This is fine,' she said, her voice a monotone. 'You may go on in. You've only the remainder of office hours today before this pass will expire so I suggest you use it well. Not even the Minister himself will be able to get you a second pass for over a week if you don't get your work done.'

'We appreciate your advice,' Neville said, shooting Hermione a quelling look.

Her mouth closed as she bit back the retort that was sitting on the end of her tongue. How had he known that she would say something probably unacceptably rude to the woman? Perhaps she hadn't changed at all and was as predictable as she had ever been? Pressing her lips into a thin line, she nodded curtly at the woman before following Neville into the Archives silently.

They walked down a long corridor with wooden drawers all over the walls on both sides. The filing system looked incredibly complicated and Hermione wondered how on earth they would be able to get the information they needed in just a few hours. They came to a stop three-quarters of the way down the corridor where there was a cross section that led to a room full of desks on one side, and more filing drawers along the walls on the other side.

'We'll be able to review everything we find in there,' Neville said pointing to the room full of desks. 'I have a feeling that the information you are searching for is just a little way further down the corridor.'

Hermione nodded, impressed by how knowledgeable he appeared to be. 'That's excellent.'

They arrived at the part of the corridor Neville had mentioned a moment later, where he crouched down low and opened the filing drawer at the very bottom.

'If I take this one and you go through the one beside me, we should be able to work our way through this much faster,' he said, looking at her with a small smile. 'These are all of the files from the Dark War trials the year Lucius Malfoy was sentenced and sent to Azkaban.'

'So we'll have to go through all of the files for that entire year to find what we need?' she asked with a frown of annoyance.

Neville chuckled dryly. 'Kingsley did warn you,' he said simply. 'There are three consecutive rows of these filing cabinets actually.'

'How do you know so much about all of this?' Hermione asked in surprise.

'As I am training under Kingsley as his protégé, I have to learn a lot about the inner workings of the Ministry,' he replied, continuing to riffle through the filing drawer before him. 'I was required to spend weeks down here last year going through every drawer in the entire Archive so that I would know approximately where to look whenever it was required of me to find specific paperwork.'

Hermione crouched down beside him and drew open her first drawer, flipping through the files in search of any folder than had Lucius Malfoy's name attached to it. 'What does being Kingsley's protégé entail exactly?' she asked curiously.

'He's training me to take over as the Head of the Department when he finally decides to retire,' he answered.

'Kingsley's going to retire?' she blurted out, surprised.

Neville laughed. 'He's not going to retire for another five years from what I understand,' he said, reassuring her. 'The training process takes quite a few years, you see. He began training me last year so that when the time comes for him to step down, I would be ready to take his place. There is still so much I have to learn before that time.'

Hermione nodded in understanding, in awe at the young man beside her. She was overcome with curiosity about him and how it was that he had changed so much over the past few years. The two times she had seen him since her return, she had been able to think of little else while in his presence. This annoyed her. While she had taken lovers over the past seven years, Hermione had never had a single serious relationship, and she had never been so preoccupied with a man the way she was with Neville.

'It's so strange to be here working with you,' she said, unable to help herself.

He chuckled softly. 'I was surprised by Kingsley's request to assist you myself,' he replied. 'I hadn't see you for seven years and then suddenly he told me we would be working together.'

'You're not the same,' she said softly. 'I mean, of course you are the same. But you're different.'

He inclined his head slightly with the same curious smile, curving the corners of his mouth before returning to his work without another word.

Hermione's confusion by the way he smiled at her rivalled all other thoughts in her mind at that moment. Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus on her word again. She forcefully reminded herself that she had an important job to do and very little time in which to complete said task. Her nimble fingers set to the task of riffling through the files once more until she finally spotted something she thought was interesting.

She made a small sound of excitement, which prompted Neville to look over from his work. 'Sorry,' she mumbled.

'I take it you found something useful in there?'

Hermione nodded. 'Very useful,' she answered as she continued flipping through the files.

They worked on in silence for over an hour, managing to work their way through the entire row that they were searching. Neville gestured for Hermione to go and begin scouring the folders they had already found in the desk area. She agreed to do so with some reluctance as he stayed behind to search the remaining row of drawers. The stack they had was already heavy and she had to hold it extremely close to her chest in order to heft them over to the tables.

Sitting down on a decidedly uncomfortable wooden chair, she began with the first folder on the top, pulling a quill, pot of ink and piece of parchment from the briefcase she had enlarged from a pocket in her robes. She made notations on the spare parchment while she went through, noting page numbers and references as well as the volume of the file to refer to it again later.

She was so intensely focussed on her task, that when Neville joined her some time later, she was startled when he placed the last of the folders in her pile.

He gave her an apologetic smile. 'This is going to take the rest of the day,' he said, sitting in the chair beside her. 'I doubt we'll even be able to fit a lunch break in if we're going to get it all sorted by the end of the day.'

Hermione sighed heavily and nodded. He was right. To sort the rubbish from what she actually needed, they would have to work all day. Then, she would need to make copies of the files she needed to use for the case. She could tell that she was probably going to need to restock her supply of headache potions to make it through this case. After all, she had accepted the case purely to further her career, disregarding her personal feelings on the matter. If it were up to her, Lucius Malfoy would remain behind bars for the rest of his life.

'I hate the idea of Lucius Malfoy off scot-free,' she said quietly.

'None of us in the Department particularly want him out of that cell,' Neville replied. 'Unfortunately for all of us, Draco Malfoy loves his father and was willing to pay practically everyone in power to get this case taken seriously.'

'The sooner this is all over, the better.'

'Indeed,' Neville replied.

The two of them fell back into silence, working alongside one another with the fluid grace of familiarity.

* * *

To be continued.


	3. Chapter 3: Reminiscing

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

A giant hug of thanks to my beta Genevieve for all of her help with this chapter.

* * *

The fire that burned in the fireplace glowed orange-red, sending little flickers of light all around the room.

Hermione sank down further into the couch with Harry's youngest boy on her lap. Young Noah was sitting quite nicely that day as he read through the book on dragons that Hermione had given to him as a present. Noah's preoccupation with the creatures was amusing, and she was not one to discourage him if it was his interest. She was pleased that he had taken to reading. Lucas, the eldest Potter boy, was not so inclined and preferred to run around outside, playing with his toy broomstick.

She stroked her hand through the boy's messy hair, brushing the dark brown locks out of his face so that he could see properly. He eagerly devoured the book, pointing at the pictures and asking her questions as she read the words on the page to him. If anyone had told her seven years ago that Harry would end up married to Pansy Parkinson and have two beautiful children, Hermione would never have believed them. However, over the years, she came to understand that Pansy was different from the person she had known at Hogwarts, and was an excellent wife and mother to their children.

Hermione looked up a moment later when Pansy walked into the room with a tray of sandwiches wearing an apron that looked like something Harry must have bought.

'Lovely apron,' Hermione said with a smirk.

Pansy looked over at her and rolled her eyes. 'Harry got it for me,' she replied as she sat down on the couch beside her. 'I know it's hideous, but I didn't have the heart to tell him I hated it.'

'So, Harry tells me you're planning a big third birthday party for this little one here,' she said, ruffling Noah's hair. 'Do you want some help with the preparations?'

Pansy flashed her a grateful smile. 'I would love some help,' she answered. 'With another baby on the way and only a few weeks left to get the party planned, I am going to be extremely busy. I don't want to wear myself out too much when I have less than two months before my baby girl is born.'

'You both must be excited to finally be having a little girl,' Hermione said, picking Noah up off her lap and sitting him down between her and his mother. 'Would you like a sandwich, my darling?'

Noah looked up at her with wide green eyes and smiled happily. 'Can I have one wif cheese, Aunty 'Mione?' he said.

Pansy pointed to the sandwiches on the left side of the tray where the cheese sandwiches were located. Reaching over, she grabbed one of them and handed it to the young boy beside her who accepted it with a smile and squeaked a 'thanks' at her before jamming it all into his mouth. Hermione helped herself to a sandwich triangle and then wondered where Harry and Lucas had gone. She was just about to voice her curiosity when the door to their chambers opened and Harry and Lucas walked inside.

'Where have you two been?' Pansy asked as Harry sat down in the armchair on the opposite side of the coffee table.

'Lucas and I were just helping Hagrid with the pumpkins for the Halloween Feast tomorrow night,' he replied, lifting Lucas up onto his lap.

The three adults tucked into their lunch and when the tray was empty and everyone was full, Pansy took the tray away, waddling into the kitchen in her pregnant state. Lucas toddled off, following his mother to try and offer his help. Harry stood and moved over to sit beside Hermione on the couch, covering his boy with a small throw rug.

'So tell me, how have you been, Hermione?' he asked.

'I've been great, actually,' she said with a smile. 'I've had a lot to do at work ever since I've been home, but it'll be rewarding when I get that promotion.'

'I still can't believe that you are going to try and help Lucius Malfoy get out of Azkaban,' Harry said with a heavy sigh. 'I know your job is important to you, but really? You know what he has done – what he is capable of.'

'I don't like it either, you know,' she said, slightly annoyed. 'I wouldn't be fighting for him if it were not for the inherent greed that makes man. I will be ensuring that he has extremely strict regulations should my case lead to his release.'

'I'm sorry,' Harry said when she had finished speaking. 'I know this must be hard for you as well.'

'It's hard on all of us, Harry,' she replied. 'I don't really want to talk about it though. Let's not spoil a perfectly lovely day with that wretched man, all right?'

Harry nodded in agreement. Pansy walked back into the room and walked straight over to Harry, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek before continuing through to the bathroom with Lucas in tow.

Hermione was constantly surprised by the change in their former school foe. She was softer, warmer and gentler. She had not believed it when she had first discovered their relationship. Hermione had been studying in France for only six months when she came home for the weekend and Harry brought Pansy as a date to the Burrow for Sunday lunch. They had married a year later and soon after Harry accepted an apprenticeship at Hogwarts and had left Auror training. When he was ready, he received his mastery in education and took over teaching Muggle Studies, to everyone's surprise.

Even thought it had confused Hermione to begin with, she knew that it was the perfect role for Harry. He needed stability in his life after giving up his childhood and teenage years defeating the Dark Lord. Ginny had wanted a career and to travel, which had not suited him at all. Pansy was the perfect wife – having had a disrupted childhood herself, she wanted to settle down and build a family. She worked as the Librarian at Hogwarts and the two of them were very happy.

Hermione smiled inwardly at the thought of being that happy. She had never met a single person in her life that made her feel the way Harry and Pansy felt about each other. While part of her didn't care and thought that a relationship would get in the way of her career aspirations, another part of her longed for that level of caring. Ron had been interested in pursuing that with her – unfortunately, Hermione had not been so inclined. She had never quite been able to forgive Ron for cheating on her with Lavender Brown shortly after they had graduated from Hogwarts.

Lucas suddenly jumped up onto the couch, startling her out of her thoughts.

'I have a few questions,' she said, turning to look at her friend.

Harry smiled at her, and she could tell just looking at him that he was curious. He had become her primary source of gossip while she had been abroad, and that had not changed at all since her return.

'Ask away,' he said with a chuckle.

'I want to know when Neville went from that awkward, shy, forgetful and clumsy boy, to the second in charge of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement,' she asked, getting straight to the point.

Hermione figured that there was little to no point trying to hide anything from Harry. Despite his absolutely appalling taste in aprons and his awkward manner in front of people he didn't know, her best friend was still able to read her like an open book.

'You've had a bit of a one-track mind lately it seems,' Harry pointed out.

She swatted him on the arm lightly, smiling despite herself. 'How could I possibly not? Kingsley assigned him to work with me for the duration of my case, so I have to see him every day,' she exclaimed. 'It's near driving me to distraction.'

'You don't really seem like you mind too much to me,' he quipped lightly, earning himself another swat. 'Why don't you just ask Kingsley to assign someone else to your case instead?'

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. 'If I do that, knowing my luck, he'll stick me with Ron, and we both know how that'll turn out,' she replied with a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose to discourage an oncoming headache. 'Besides, Neville and I are working together just fine. It's just so confusing to be around him these days.'

'Neville is… well he was already starting to grow a backbone before we returned for our seventh year at Hogwarts if you recall,' Harry pointed out. 'Surviving a war and a Dark Lord tend to make people change, Hermione. Some for the good it seems.'

'I think he is one of the ones who has changed for the better,' she murmured, more to herself than anything. 'That's not to say he was bad before. He was just painfully awkward and shy.'

'I loved having him as a partner while I was still in Auror training with him,' Harry mused. 'He was a surprisingly fast learner and was always so enthusiastic. Ron hated it, of course. But then, Ron always did like being the centre of attention.'

Hermione rolled her eyes at that comment. 'I am still going to have to work with Ron at some point during the case. Kingsley assigned him to the security detail for Lucius Malfoy's transportation to and from Azkaban.'

'That's unfortunate,' he said, laughing at the frown she wore.

'If you loved me, you would pity me at this moment,' she grumbled.

'Chin up, Hermione,' he replied. 'At least you know he's seeing Lavender and won't try to make a pass at you now.'

'Oh joy,' she said sarcastically.

'You know, I have a little more information about Neville that may be of some interest to you if you'd care to know it,' Harry said with a mischievous look in his eyes. 'I'm not sure if you recall, but our dear Neville was, in face, dating Luna Lovegood for a number of months after we had all graduated from Hogwarts.'

'I think I remember hearing something about it,' she replied. 'Mind you, back then I was so disconnected from everything over here.'

'Luna left Neville after the end of our first year of training,' he explained. 'She said that she wanted to travel and didn't want him to have to wait for her to come home. It was a kindness, even though it broke his heart. He's sworn off relationships ever since. I've never seen Neville go on more than one date with the same woman, and he rarely dates at all. He's become a bit of a slave to his work.'

Hermione listened to Harry in fascination. It was interesting to hear all of this information. It gave her some perspective and insight into what had happened to create the confident, self-assured man she was working with on a daily basis. She'd never known that Luna and he had parted ways, and still would not have were it not for Harry. Her logical mind also automatically recognised that this knew knowledge could be dangerous for her. Now that she knew he was single, some part of her seemed to have decided that it was okay for her to find him incredibly and undeniably attractive.

She groaned inwardly. The last thing she needed was to be attracted to a colleague; those sorts of things always got out of hand. She had seen it time and time again in both her own workplace, and had been told stories about it happening at Hogwarts from Harry.

'That's such a sad story,' she said eventually, looking down at Noah's head as it rested on her lap.

Looking to her right, she saw that Lucas had also fallen asleep, his head resting on the arm of the couch. Pansy walked back into the room then and lifted her older boy up into her arms before carrying him in the direction of the boy's bedroom. Harry got up then too, lifting Noah into his arms and following his wife while Hermione simply sat there on her own, contemplating everything that had been said that day.

A large part of her knew that being attracted to Neville was setting her on a dangerous path, but some small part of her hoped that when he looked at her, he also found her attractive. Shaking the ridiculous thought from her head, she smiled up at Harry and Pansy as they re-entered the room together holding hands. Pansy resumed the spot beside Hermione while Harry sat down in the armchair.

'You two are the perfect couple,' Hermione said, sighing softly. 'It's almost sickening how perfect you are for one another.'

Pansy snorted, trying to cover it up by turning it into a cough. 'Harry and I fight still, you know,' she said with a grin. 'But we always forgive and forget. There is no such thing as perfect when you are in love, Hermione.'

'You make it look so easy though,' she murmured. 'It was never that easy for me and Ron. I practically drove him to cheat on me, if the _Daily Prophet_ is to be believed.'

'The two of you just weren't compatible,' Harry said, joining in the conversation. 'If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the past. It'll just make you miserable.'

Hermione nodded, knowing Harry was right. Ron was in her past. She needed to move past feeling sorry for herself and focus on the things that were important – being with her loved ones, and getting through this nightmarish case.

'I should probably head off and let you two enjoy the rest of the afternoon,' she announced, hauling herself off their couch. 'I have a lot of paperwork to do at home and it's not going to do itself.'

'Hermione Granger, you need to get a hobby,' Harry said, getting up to walk her to the door. 'Don't work so hard all of the time, okay?'

'See you next weekend, Hermione,' Pansy called out from the couch. 'We'll go over party plans then, okay? I should have a list of potential venues by the time you come back.'

Hermione laughed and nodded. 'I'll see you then,' she replied.

Harry gave her a tight hug at the door to their chambers, pecking her on the cheek in a friendly manner. 'Don't be a stranger,' he told her seriously. 'And let me know any Neville gossip you hear, okay? You're the one who works with him now, after all. You'll be the first to know everything.'

'Don't be so sure,' she replied as he released her from his embrace. 'See you, Harry.'

With a smile and wave, she walked away from their quarters and heard the door shut softly behind her as she left. As she made her way off the Hogwarts grounds, she thought about the advice her friends had given her. Perhaps she did need a hobby. She shook her head. No – the last thing she needed were more things to do. Besides, there was a good book at home that she had been meaning to read for weeks. Perhaps she would do that instead of work that afternoon?

A moment before she Apparated once outside the Hogwarts gates she nodded ro herself, resolved to take the rest of the day off.

* * *

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4: Realism

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Genevieve for all of her help with this chapter.

* * *

New books were one of the few pleasures Hermione indulged in these days.

It had gotten to the point where more than fifty percent of her belongings were either books, or the shelving on which she stored all of them. She had concluded that if she didn't cut back on her book purchasing, she would drown in them and soon run out of space in her new home. Sighing to herself, she ran a finger down the spine of an Arithmancy tome she had long been coveting. It had been roughly three weeks since the last time she had allowed herself the luxury of a purchase.

Smiling, she slid the book from the shelf and made her way to the front counter to pay for her purchase – it wouldn't hurt to spoil herself this once.

She reached into the pocket of her robes and withdrew the amount she owed, handing it to the clerk. She walked out with her book clutched to her chest, stepping out of Flourish and Blotts, and into the warm midday sun. It was unusual for it to be so warm at that time of year, so Hermione liked to enjoy it when she could. As she was slowly walking down the cobblestone street, the clock in the middle of Diagon Alley began to chime clearly, alerting her to the time.

She had allocated herself only thirty minutes for her lunch break, and had spent the entire time fawning over books. She smiled ruefully to herself. It was typical Hermione behaviour to forget about her stomach when books were involved. Picking up her pace, she made her way back to the Ministry, walking straight over to the lifts. She punched the button for her floor yet, just as the doors were beginning to close, a foot jammed itself in the way halting her departure.

She clucked a little impatiently until the body attached to the foot made its appearance. Neville threw a sheepish smile her way, carrying with him a large paper bag that looked to be filled with enough food for a few people.

'Fancy some fish and chips?' he asked, moving into the lift properly so that the doors could finally shut.

'Are you offering?' she replied with a smile.

'I remember you well enough to know that you don't eat nearly as often as you should,' Neville replied. 'I deliberately bought too much food.'

'So that's a yes, then,' she said, chuckling.

Neville rolled his eyes at her. Apparently some aspects of Harry and Ron's personalities had rubbed off on him during their training together. The old Neville would never have done something so bold. They passed the rest of the journey in the lift in silence, and when they stopped off on their floor, he waited for her to exit before following her down the corridor.

Although their work together was still very much in the research phase, they had decided to move away from working in the library. There was too much potential for someone to overhear them while they were working, or get their hands on Hermione's notes for the case. The last thing either of them wanted was for the wrong hands to get a hold of what she was doing. They chose to relocate to Neville's office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was given a room that was similar to Kingsley's in the office right next door.

Hermione didn't mind, so long as the place was quiet and she was able to focus. She wouldn't have minded if she was working from inside a shoebox.

'You know, you probably don't need to hold that book so tight,' Neville teased, which interrupted her train of thought.

She looked down at her arms then and noticed that she was, indeed, hugging the new book she had bought to her chest a little tighter than was necessary. 'I just bought it,' she mumbled, unable to come up with anything else on the spot.

'I can see that,' he replied, sitting down in his chair on one side of the desk. 'Pull up a seat and we'll eat before we start working. I don't know about you, but my brain doesn't function as quickly on an empty stomach.'

Neville pulled two plates and some cutlery from a shelf behind the desk. He passed one set to her before opening the paper bag and pulling out the newspaper-wrapped contents. Within moments, they both had fish and chips piled onto their plates with lemon wedges and a container of seafood sauce sitting between them.

As Hermione munched slowly on a chip, she watched Neville across from her, unable to find anything else remarkable in the room to draw her attention. He was concentrating on the plate in front of him, idly swirling a chip in the sauce before popping it into his mouth in one go. Apparently her staring did not go unnoticed because a moment later, she was staring straight into his hazel eyes. She averted her gaze quickly, but not quite fast enough to avoid seeing the way his mouth curled into a smirk.

The rest of their lunch passed in awkward silence, and Hermione tried to finish as quickly as possible so that they could start on their work once more.

When he was finished, Neville cleared about both of their plates, taking them to a small basin in one corner of the office to clean. Hermione pulled all of the files from the Archives that they had yet to scan through for information and set them on the desk, splitting them into two piles. If they stayed on track with work that afternoon, she was certain they would be able to get through the stacks before the day was done. If she focussed, she would probably be able to get through the rest of the day without being distracted by her co-worker.

Neville returned to his desk moments later, resuming his earlier work. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the afternoon, focused intently on scanning the case files. Hermione saw Neville highlighting the important areas with the felt pens that she had brought for that particular use – sometimes Muggle stationary was even better than Wizarding. After a while she could feel the strain in her neck and her back was quite sore. She looked up at the clock on the wall behind Neville and saw that it was almost half past five in the evening.

The total lack of windows in the department often made it difficult to judge what the time was.

Hermione looked at the pile on the desk in front of her and saw that there were a couple of files left. She really wanted to move on to the next stage of her research the next day, so ignoring the time, she decided to keep going until she was done. She looked over at Neville and saw that there were still a few folders in front of him as well.

'It's already half five,' she said, her sudden words making him jerk his head up to look at her. 'I can finish up here if you want to head off for the day.'

Neville shook his head. 'I'll stay if it's all the same to you,' he replied. 'If you do it alone you'll be here for a couple of hours. If I stay and help we'll be out of here in an hour at the latest.'

'It's not really your job to play nursemaid to me, Neville,' she argued.

'But I would be an arse to leave you on your own here,' he said simply. 'I don't want to leave you here in the office all alone, so I'll stay. And Hermione?'

'Yes?' she replied, stunned.

'Please don't try to argue any more. I can be every bit as stubborn as you are,' he said with a smirk.

As he finished off his speech, Neville's head was down once more as he went back to work. Hermione sat there gaping at what had just transpired. She certainly had underestimated just how much of a backbone the man across from her had grown over the years. She watched him as he worked, his brow furrowed slightly as he read through the case file. Harry had been right. This made Hermione feel out of her element. She was used to being the one to take charge and be the boss, and it was unnerving to be placed in a position where she wasn't in full control of her situation. This man in front of her was unlike any other that she knew.

She quickly averted her eyes. If she was unable to steamroll over him, she was going to have to watch herself. Confidence was attractive to her, and having Neville placed before her as he was… Well it was going to be a hard few months. Nodding inwardly to herself she decided a course of evasive action; she returned her attention to the task at hand.

When she highlighted the last section she would need in the final folder, she sat back with a sigh of relief, stretching her arms out in front of her and wriggling her fingers to ease the cramps in her hands. She looked at the clock and saw that it was a quarter past six. A moment later, she saw Neville sit back as well and heard a small sound of satisfaction. Just as he had said, they made good time working through it together. This irked her a little. She knew that they worked well together, giving her fewer reasons to try and get away from him.

'Thank you for your help,' she said, breaking the silence.

'You're very welcome,' he replied.

Hermione began gathering all of the files and placed them in her briefcase. After they had tidied up his office a little, she and Neville both made to depart.

'You look like you could do with some dinner,' Neville said as they walked along the corridor towards the lifts.

Hermione felt her stomach rumble as she was reminded of how long it had been since their last meal. Yes, she was actually very hungry. She hadn't planned a thing for dinner at home. She would most likely heat up a tin of soup and eat it with some toast.

'I will manage,' she replied, not looking at him.

'I have a better idea,' he said, not bothering to explain any further.

They got into the lift and went down to the main entrance hall. As soon as they had made it to the cobblestone street, Neville grabbed her hand and started leading her in the direction of his choice. Hermione wasn't sure why she hadn't pulled away yet, simply allowing him to lead her around. Any protest she could have made would have been feeble at any rate. She was tired and hungry and if what she assumed was correct, Neville was leading her in the direction of food.

When Hermione saw the Leaky Cauldron looming in front of her a short time later, she knew she had been correct.

The inside of the pub was noisy and crowded, but over the din and despite the people, Hermione could still smell the delicious scent of whatever it was they were serving as the dinner special that night. Despite wanting desperately to get away from the source of her temptation, she really needed to eat something before her stomach began to digest itself. She found herself pushed into a seat in a booth that was tucked away in a corner of the pub.

Neville disappeared into the crowd, heading towards the bar while Hermione sat there numbly, wondering what kind of world she had just walked into.

He returned a moment later with two pints. 'I hope you still drink butterbeer,' he said, pushing one towards her once he was seated. 'The food here might be good, but there isn't much in the way of drinks – better off going to the Three Broomsticks for a drink these days.'

'I do, thank you,' she murmured, lifting the drink to her mouth and taking a sip of the warm liquid.

'I hope you don't mind it warm – that's how they serve it when winter is on the way,' Neville said conversationally. 'I prefer it cold myself.'

'Warm is fine,' she replied, keeping her eyes focused on the table.

'Dinner is on its way,' he said.

Hermione looked up at him. Why was he being so nice to her? So attentive? And then it hit her. Was it possible that Neville was attracted to her? She frowned. If that was the case, she was going to have to try a whole lot harder to nip her ridiculous curiosity with him in the bud. She wasn't about to risk her case and her career by making a stupid mistake and ruining her working relationship with him. She had to be smart, even if it meant that she'd push him away.

'Thank you for being so considerate,' she said politely. She didn't have to be rude to him – especially after he had just paid for both her lunch and dinner.

'You're welcome,' he said, and she swore she could hear his smirk.

They food arrived a moment later and Hermione sat there staring at roast chicken and gravy, with peas, carrots and a variety of other steamed vegetables. Her mouth watered; she was that hungry. Immediately picking up her knife and fork, she tucked into the meal with vigour. She only looked up for a moment to glare at Neville when he chuckled at her.

'I've never seen a girl eat food the way you do,' he explained, holding up a hand to stall her retort. 'What I meant by that was, most girls are too shy to eat even when they are hungry. It's actually refreshing.'

Hermione smiled at that. 'I quickly learned after I left Hogwarts, that if I didn't eat, I would cease to function,' she said with a chuckle. 'I've seen other women in my workplace nearly pass out from trying to keep up a dainty appearance. Of course, the French women were always the worst.'

'Is being thin a fashion statement over there?' he asked.

She laughed. 'It's a fashion statement in nearly every country, Neville.'

'You look like you could do with a few more greasy British pub meals yourself,' he pointed out.

Hermione looked at herself and thought she could probably agree. She had always been a skinny girl, but working and stress had only made her appear a more sharp looking and severe than she actually wanted. She blamed her genetics. Both of her parents were fairly tall and slender, and she was not exempt from that family trait.

'Maybe I could use a little more pub food,' she murmured.

They finished their dinner, listening to the conversations and laughter all around them before heading to the nearest Apparation point. Neville stood to the side, obviously waiting for her to leave first. In the warm glow of the streetlight hanging over them, Hermione could see, for the first time, the dark circles that were under his eyes and she wondered why she hadn't noticed how tired he was before. She gave herself a mental shake. No – she had to be realistic. A relationship with Neville could ruin everything.

'Thanks for dinner and lunch, Neville,' she said.

He simply nodded with a small smile and with that, she Apparated out of sight.

* * *

To be continued.


	5. Chapter 5: Ruffled

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Genevieve, without whom this chapter would not be beta'd.

* * *

The park was green, the sun shining through the gaps of the leaves on the numerous trees.

Hermione stepped out from behind tall, thick shrubs, making her way towards the footpath. She walked the short distance between the park and the home of her parents, who had both decided, after much deliberation, to remain in Australia. She often wondered why they liked living in Sydney, as it was humid and warm. The upside was that the entire population seemed to be far more relaxed the people of the United Kingdom. Both of her parents were calm, happy and tanned.

As she arrived at their house, she walked up the front path and pressed the front doorbell. She heard some talking from inside followed by footsteps before the door opened and a tall, slender middle-aged woman opened the door. Hermione immediately put her arms around her mother in an embrace, burying her face in a tangle of curly brown hair that was so similar to her own. When she pulled back, her mother smiled at her warmly.

'It's so good to see you, darling,' Ruth Granger said, stepped out of the way to welcome her daughter into the house.

'It's good to finally get some time away from work,' Hermione said, following her mother inside, pulling the door closed behind her. 'I've missed you. I really should try to come over here more often.'

'You're father has just gone to the shops to get a few things to make lunch,' Ruth said, leading the way to the kitchen.

She put a kettle on to boil while Hermione sat down at the kitchen table. While they had moved countries, some things about her parents would never change. They still drank tea and ate scones like any other British citizens. A few minutes later they sat together at the table with a pot of black tea between them and two mugs. Ruth looked over at her daughter and smiled. Hermione looked back at her with a sheepish grin.

'So, how is working coming along, darling?' her mother asked, resting her elbows on the table as she held her mug in both hands.

'It's just ducky, mother,' she said with a heavy sigh.

'Oh dear, that doesn't sound like a "just ducky" sigh to me,' Ruth said, sitting back in her chair comfortably as she brought her mug to her lips for a sip.

'It's been a bit rough at work since I moved to London,' Hermione replied, staring at the tea in her mug, watching the small ripples in the liquid as they radiated outwards. 'I got stuck with a very challenging case. I know it's a test for the partners to see whether I am partnership material.'

'And a partnership would be extremely good for your career, no doubt,' her mother piped with a nod. 'Oh darling, you know what you have to do in cases like this, don't you?'

Hermione looked up at her mother then. 'What?'

'Well, you have to weigh up the pros and cons,' she replied. 'Is taking a case that is obviously very difficult and troubles you, worth the end result?'

Hermione thought about it for a second. Working on a case to have Lucius Malfoy released from Azkaban was against all of her principles as a human being. Unfortunately, as Legal Council, she was no longer allowed the luxury of principles of a conscience. She worked in an extremely cutthroat arena, and there were other people in the firm that would gladly watch her crash and burn. Initially the case had just been another case for her, but as she and Neville had gone through the case files, she realised just how much red Malfoy had in his ledger and was appalled, to say the least.

'I want this position,' she said finally. 'It would secure my place in the firm and I'd be allowed to pick and choose my cases as I please from there on in.'

'Well, there is your answer right there,' her mother said with a satisfied smile. 'I know it seems selfish, but sometimes you have to be if you want to get places.'

'It's just, seven years ago Harry, Ron and I worked so hard to have this man put away for good. It feels like I am doing the complete opposite now and contradicting myself.'

'Seven years is a long time. People grow and change, and their values and opinions grow and change with them,' Ruth pointed out. 'You aren't answerable to anyone, sweetheart. Only to yourself and what you want and believe in.'

Hermione offered her mother a small smile. 'How did you get so wise?' she asked teasingly. 'I hope I can be half as wise and clever as you when I am older.'

'I think you're already well on your way to achieving that,' the older woman said, reaching across the table to take Hermione's hand kindly.

The two of them lifted their mugs to take a sip of their tea when they both heard the front door open.

Hermione was out of her chair in a second, her tea abandoned on the kitchen table as she went to seek out the source of the ruckus. Her father was just closing the front door as she rounded the corner. Happily, she threw herself at him in a tight hug, clinging to his much taller frame. He returned her embrace, chuckling all the while before she pulled back to look at him properly.

'Hello daddy,' she said in greeting.

'It's good to see you, sweetheart,' Rickard Granger said with a smile. 'When did you get here?'

'About half an hour ago,' Hermione replied as they walked back towards the kitchen.

Her mother was still seated at the table with the tea. Hermione re-joined her mother while her father put away the groceries in the refrigerator before joining them with a third mug. He poured himself a mug of Earl Grey tea before settling back and looking straight at her.

'So, I hear you've been moved back to London now,' Rickard said conversationally. 'How are you liking being home again?'

Hermione chuckled. 'It's a little dreary actually. The weather has been dreadful. It's cold and it rains constantly,' she answered. 'I had quite forgotten just how gloomy it gets in England.'

'We don't face the same problems over here,' her father said as her mother nodded in agreement. 'We're more likely to perish from a heatwave and drought than drown in a flood from all the rain.'

'Well, I suppose all this sun is keeping you nicely tanned.'

'You're actually looking exceptionally pale and thin , my darling,' Ruth pointed out with a slight frown. 'You could benefit from a holiday here and some sun.'

'A holiday is totally out of the question at the moment,' she said with a small sigh. 'Perhaps after this case is over and done with, I might be able to steal a week away and come for an extended visit.'

'Your mother and I would both love that,' Rickard said softly.

After they had finished their tea, Hermione helped her mother begin the preparation for lunch. Hermione was unfortunately only there for the day, so she intended to make the most of her time with both her parents. Hermione got a pot of water boiling and cooked some pasta, pouring it into a strainer once it was done. They tenderised the chicken breasts and dusted them lightly with a combination of flour, chicken stock powder and paprika before they pan-fried them until they were golden on the outside. After that, she watched as her mother made a tangy butter sauce with crushed capers before adding the chicken breasts back to the pan.

They served the chicken and sauce with the pasta, and Hermione set the table while her mother went to collect her father to eat. She found a bottle of white wine in the fridge and poured three glasses by the time her parents had returned. After they sat down, the three of them touched their glasses together and tucked into the delicious meal before them. After lunch was finished, Rickard cleared the table and stacked the dishwasher as Hermione and her mother took their topped-up wine glasses with them to the sitting room.

Hermione sprawled comfortably on the lounge chair while her mother sat down in the big, stuffed armchair.

'So, is there a man in your life these days?' her mother asked, startling Hermione out of her daydream.

Hermione laughed out loud. 'No, there isn't,' she replied. 'You and I both know I haven't been in a serious relationship since Ron and I split up.'

'Not even the occasional fling?'

Hermione gasped at her mother's question. 'Mother, you cannot expect me to answer that question seriously,' she exclaimed.

'What? You're my daughter,' Ruth replied, laughing softly. 'I'm allowed to be interested in the status of my daughter's romantic conquests.'

'There really isn't very much romance involved when you're having a fling with someone,' Hermione said, blushing.

'Surely there has been someone that has caught your eye recently? From what I recall there are quite a number of attractive men in your social circle,' her mother prodded, trying to wheedle information out of her. 'What about one of Ronald's brothers? There was a strapping young man – Charlie or something…'

'Charlie lives in Romania,' she said with a giggle at her mother's antics. 'I could never devote myself to maintaining a long distance relationship on top of my work for a start. And secondly, I could never date on of Ron's brothers – even if they were the most incredibly attractive men in existence, which I assure you, they aren't.'

'You're awfully picky for a girl who doesn't date, my love,' Ruth said, sipping her wine.

'I think you've had too much wine,' Hermione said bluntly.

Her mother waved her off with a chuckle. 'You need to loosen up a little,' she said seriously. 'Live a little. Enjoy your youth while you still have it.'

'You and daddy are not old, you know,' Hermione said.

'We're hardly young,' she replied. 'But we are enjoying our lives. Moving us here, even if we did loose our memories of you for a time, was the best thing you ever did for us. We love living here – it's why we opened our practice here and settle down.'

'I'm glad at least something good came from my decision,' she replied, unsure why her mother had brought up such a sensitive topic.

'I don't mean to upset you,' Ruth said softly. 'I just don't like to see you unhappy. You look tense and tired. In my opinion, it could be fixed by a little break, or a very decent shag with a stranger.'

Hermione's eyes widened at Ruth's brash words and she stared, mouth agape as her mind tried to process what she had just heard. She closed her mouth and shook her head, chuckling. Her parents had really changed and opened up – something she was coming to appreciate more lately. She had been filled with guilt over removing their memories for the longest time, and it was only recently, with their help, that she was beginning to move on.

She considered her mother's words for a moment. What would it hurt to tell her about her attraction to Neville? It's not as though she really knew him. And whom was her mother going to tell?

'There is someone… A current colleague who I have been working with a great deal lately,' she said, so quietly it could have almost been to herself.

Ruth sat forward in her chair, intrigued. 'What's his name?'

'Neville Longbottom,' she said, breathing out the breath she had been holding. 'I think you'll remember him vaguely – I went to school with him at Hogwarts. He shares a birthday with Harry.'

'I think I recall you mentioning that name. Wasn't he the plump, shy, clumsy boy you used to help in your Potions class?'

Hermione nodded. 'The very same boy,' she replied, blushing. 'Only, he's not a boy any more, and he certainly isn't clumsy or shy. He isn't at all plump either – he's an Auror – a dark wizard catcher. He trained with Harry and Ron and has become quite accomplished now.'

'He sounds like your type,' Ruth commented slyly. 'What's stopping you from going after him? What does he look like?'

Hermione looked at the glass in her hand, watching as a bubble floated to the surface before it popped. 'He's a little shorter than daddy, and broader – very muscular. Brown hair that is long enough to be a little untidy and big hazel eyes. He's very attractive now.'

'So you're not pursuing him because he's attractive? My goodness, what a snob you are, darling,' her mother teased. 'The poor man can't help that he's good-looking.'

Hermione hushed her mother with a look. 'I can't pursue him – it would be totally unprofessional of me to do so. We work together for heaven's sake,' she exclaimed. 'It's not as though I want it to be this way. In an ideal world, I would have met him outside of work.'

'I don't really see what the problem is – it's not as though you even work for the same people,' Ruth said simply.

'Mother, what it boils down to is whether or not I am willing to give up a good working relationship for a romance that may not even work out. I'm not even convinced he's at all interested in me.'

'How could he not be? You're a catch for any man.'

Hermione laughed quietly. 'I have a bit of a reputation for being a bossy know-it-all amongst my friends. Suffice it to say, Neville probably thinks I am as bossy a nag now as I was during school.'

'It sounds to me as thought you are trying to come up with a lot of excuses to get out of facing your attraction to him,' Ruth said finally. 'If you keep running away from relationships your whole life, you might miss out on finding true happiness with someone.'

'Not everyone was meant for romance.'

'Oh my sweet girl, romance _is _for everyone. Even you, my stubborn darling,' her mother said, a warm smile on her lips.

Hermione sat back and closed her eyes, bringing the wine glass to her lips and taking a giant swallow of the cool liquid. It burned a little on the way down her throat, but she didn't care. She knew her mother was right in a way – there was no running away from her attraction to Neville. But her mother didn't understand the situation fully – she could not have a relationship with Neville while they worked together. No matter how much she liked or cared for him.

She opened her eyes and stared into the half-empty glass once more. She was glad she had come to visit her parents. Her mother was great for putting things into perspective. But it was just as Hermione had said – a relationship with Neville would put a whole lot of things in jeopardy, not in the least her case and her career. She didn't want to put his position at the Ministry on shaky grounds either.

Just as she had decided before that day, Neville Longbottom would remain completely off-limits.

* * *

To be continued.


	6. Chapter 6: Readability

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Genevieve for beta-ing this chapter.

* * *

On the way to the Ministry of Magic that morning, Hermione made a quick stop by her own office at the Jennings and Hyde building.

Unlike most other Wizarding law firms, which were based in Diagon Alley, their head office was located in Hammersmith to the west. It was still well within the reaches of inner London, but further away than anyone could comprehend. Hermione personally liked it – it was a pleasant enough area and lacked the dirtiness that many of the buildings in the central business district featured. The only really strange thing about her office was that it was located in an area that hosted a number of International Muggle Corporation's offices.

The firm Hermione worked for was slowly beginning to expand their services in London to include legal advice for non-magical folk as well. Hermione had been surprised by the announcement – both Mr Jennings and Hyde were from Pure Blood families with an ancient heritage. She was amazed that they'd hired her and were intending to promote her to partner. While she could understand the Muggle services, some Wizards certainly constantly surprised her still.

She had been greeted warmly by her the witch at the reception desk who she did not recall the name of before heading straight to the offices in the back. As she walked closer to her scarcely used office, Hermione bumped into one of her bosses, Howard Jennings. It had been a few weeks since she had actually seen the man in person.

'Mr. Jennings, how wonderful to see you,' she exclaimed.

'Yes, the same to you, Miss Granger,' he said with an amiable smile. 'How is the Malfoy case going? Still running as smoothly as planned?'

'It's going very well,' Hermione answered. 'The Auror assigned to my case is an old schoolmate of mine and has been extremely helpful. He has a very good knowledge of the inner workings of the Ministry bureaucracy that has been invaluable to my research.'

'Excellent!' he exclaimed. 'That pleases me. I know Mr. Hyde and I look forward to attending the trial whenever that may be.'

'I am heading towards the end of the research portion and will soon be turning it into a well-reasoned case,' she explained. 'The last thing we need to sort through is arranging an interview with Draco and Narcissa at Malfoy Manor or at the Ministry, so we can really get the ball rolling.'

'Splendid! That's what I like to hear,' Jennings said cheerfully. 'Well, I wont keep you. You're probably heading to the Ministry now, I take it?'

'Of course, sir,' she answered with a nod.

They said their goodbyes and after entering her office, Hermione checked the paperwork in her inbox for anything that was important enough to need immediate attention. When she found nothing urgent, she left the office as quickly as she had entered making a mental note that the receptionist's name was actually Annabelle on her way out. She returned to the quiet alley between her own office building and the one beside it and Apparated to the nearest point in Diagon Alley to the Ministry.

She briskly walked towards the main entrance, her thick winter robes swirling about her legs as she hurried along. Once she reached the lift she punched the button for her floor and tapped her foot as she waiting impatiently for it to arrive at her destination. When the doors opened, she had to push through the clusters of people in order to disembark. The doors snapped shut behind her, and as she straightened herself out, she allowed herself a moment to take in her surroundings.

The first this she saw was a familiar pair of legs covered in jeans. As she allowed her eyes to travel upwards, she saw that Neville was wearing a black button-down shirt tucked into his jeans with the standard blue Auror robes covering his body. With his hair swept back from his forehead the way it usually was, Hermione thought he looked quite dashing despite his casual attire.

'Neville, hello,' she greeted politely, pleased to be able to keep most of the breathlessness out of her voice.

'Good morning,' he replied.

'Are you going somewhere?' she asked, pointing at the armful of paperwork he was carrying.

'Kingsley asked if I might step out and personally deliver these files to the Archives before you arrived this morning,' he answered. 'Obviously he didn't factor in that you might be early.'

'Indeed,' she said primly.

'You can just head on in to my office and make yourself comfortable,' he told her, just as a sharp 'ding' rang in the hall, indicating that the next lift had arrived. 'I'll be back in about fifteen minutes at the most.'

Hermione nodded and watched him leave before turning on her heel and making her way to his office. She walked through the department saying politely nodding to everyone she passed as usual before finally reaching Neville's office at the back. She could see Ron on the other side of the room with his back to her and was relieved. Ducking quickly into the private office, she hoped he hadn't seen her. She tried to avoid talking to him as often as she could – he had the tendency to drone on about Quidditch even though he knew she wasn't interested.

Once she was settled comfortable in what had become 'her' chair, she opened her briefcase and pulled out her ink, quill and blank parchment along with her seal and some deep purple wax.

Dipping her quill into the ink, she poised over the parchment to write, but came to a halt when she realised she had no idea what to say. What did one say to the people whose family member was a murdering bigot? She hated Lucius Malfoy. Frowning, she touched the quill to the paper, beginning her letter by heralding Draco Malfoy and his mother. She looked at the neat, looped handwriting but was unsatisfied with the way she had started her letter. Grumbling to herself she crumpled the parchment and tossed it into the wastepaper basket near the desk.

A little while later the door opened and Neville walked in. He stopped behind her and she could feel him looking over her shoulder.

'What are you working on?' he asked.

'I'm trying to draft a letter to Draco and Narcissa Malfoy,' she explained. 'I'm having a hard time trying to get the words to read the way I mean them.'

'Let me,' Neville said, plucking the quill from her hand.

Still leaning over her shoulder he quickly started scribbling away on the fresh parchment in front of her. She frowned in concentration as she watched him write the letter for her. When he was finished he placed the quill back on the desk and sauntered around it, dropping into his chair with that small, self-satisfied smile that he had taken to throwing at her recently. She returned her focus back to the letter and picked up the quill.

_Dear Draco and Mrs. Malfoy, _

_I am writing to you in order to procure a meeting between the two of you, Neville Longbottom, and myself from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We would like to talk to you about the upcoming trial of Lucius Malfoy and we would like to receive some information that we feel only you would be able to provide._

_Please let me know when you will be available so that we might arrange a meeting either at the Ministry or at your residence, Malfoy Manor. I look forward to your response and beg haste in this matter. _

_Kind Regards, _

_Hermione Granger_

_LL B. JD_

She sat back and looked up at Neville with a smile. 'It's perfect actually,' she said softly. 'Write a lot of letters, do you?'

'I used to answer a lot of Kingsley's mail as part of my training,' he replied with a chuckle. 'It is a very comprehensive instruction.'

'I can tell,' she replied. 'So, I suppose I'll head out to the Owlery in Diagon Alley in a little while. I'll post this to the Malfoys and hopefully we'll hear back from them today so that we'll be able to meet with them in a couple of days time.'

'Is there anything we can do in the meantime?' he asked.

Hermione smiled, opening her briefcase to drop the condensed notes that she had compiled over the weekend onto the desk. 'I condensed and rewrote all of the notes so that we wouldn't have to go through the whole lot all over again while we try to build a case.'

'So, what do we need to do to build the case? And how do you expect to be able to use the information that we do have to get Lucius Malfoy, of all people, out of jail?' he asked.

'Well, this is where being a ruthless lawyer comes in handy,' she said with a sly grin. 'It's my job to be able to twist all of that bad and make it seem as though they were minor misdemeanours rather than full-blown crimes.'

'Do you really think you're going to be able to do that in this case?' Neville asked, raising an eyebrow at her. 'Malfoy is high profile evil.'

'And my boss would not have asked me to take on this case if he did not feel I had the capability to win it,' she said bluntly. 'I'm good at my job, Neville. Very good.'

He smirked at that. 'You've always been exceptional at everything,' he commented.

'Not everything,' she muttered under her breath, pulling a pile of notes towards her and beginning to scan them.

After she explained to him what kind of information she would be able to put a spin on, Hermione left his office with the letter for the Malfoys. As she walked down Diagon Alley, her robes pulled around her tightly to fight off the chill that was in the air, she pondered her morning so far. She had been glad to run into her boss at work – it gave her a chance to speak to him and reassure him that the work was actually getting done.

Neville had been a surprise to her that morning as well. He was exceedingly helpful and competent at a whole manner of tasks. She supposed that all of these skills that he slowly displayed to her were just little insights into him as a person. Hermione was coming to understand exactly why it was that he had been chosen to succeed Kingsley as Head of the Department. While she hadn't seen him in the field, Hermione was more than certain he was able to hold his own from what Harry had told her.

Hermione's arrival at the Owlery a moment later put a stop to her wayward thoughts, and she reeled her mind back in from the clouds. She paid a sickle to rent one of the owls and attached the letter to its foot sending it off to Malfoy Manor. She took a slight detour on her way back to the Ministry, stopping to get some coffee. She hadn't realised it until then just how tired she actually was. She ordered a second coffee for Neville, grabbing some sugars to take with her in case he actually wanted some.

She caught the next lift to her level and stepped out of the lift only to bump into Ron who appeared to be on his way out.

'Oh hi, Hermione,' he said, moving in for a hug.

Hermione instinctively stiffened, but relaxed just enough to pat him on the back as she returned the awkward embrace. 'Hello, Ronald,' she said, straightening out once her released her.

'I'm on my way to lunch,' he said, gesturing at the lift. 'Care to join me?'

Hermione shook her head in a manner that she hoped was apologetic. 'I'm afraid I can't today, I'm sorry,' she answered. 'I've just come back from taking a break actually, and Neville and I have a lot to do before we actually can take a lunch break I'm afraid.'

'Oh, right yeah,' Ron said, rubbing the back of his head as he grinned at her sheepishly. 'How is that all going?'

'Brilliant,' she said with a nod. 'Neville is actually amazing to work with.'

'Yeah, he changed a fair bit after Hogwarts,' Ron murmured, a little jealousy creeping into his tone. 'Well, I don't want to keep you from your work...'

Hermione nodded. 'Another time,' she said, not sure that she meant it.

With a wave, she continued on her way, not looking back. She could feel Ron's eyes on her back the entire way until she was finally out of his line of sight. Making her way briskly to Neville's office, she closed the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment to catch her breath from her speed walk. She looked up to see a look of amusement on her colleague's face, mixed with a little curiosity.

'Is that for me?' he asked, gesturing to one of the coffee cups.

'I needed caffeine. I thought you might like some too,' she replied, placing the second cup and sugar in front of him.

'Why were you in such a hurry to get back inside?' he asked casually, taking the lid off his cup and pouring the sugar she had brought into it.

'I'm trying to avoid Ron,' she replied, sitting down across from him. 'He invited me to join him for lunch again.'

'Don't fancy spending time with Ron? I thought you were on the mend, since you came back that is,' Neville said as he cast a stirring charm on the coffee.

'What gave you that impression?'

'I think Ron has been circulating something around the office,' he replied. 'I'm not sure if it's true though. But if it is, he is under the impression that if he were to break things off with Lavender, the two of you might make "another go of it," or so I've heard.'

Hermione felt her blood boil in her veins. She couldn't believe Ron's nerve, telling people that he was going to break up with his girlfriend so that they could date. She barely even spoke to him. She hadn't given him a single moment of encouragement, and she constantly turned down his offers to join him for lunch. What was he thinking, spreading that kind of rumour around the office?

'I take it from your expression that you are not planning to enter into a relationship with Ron?' Neville said, drawing her focus back to the present.

'Not even if he were the last man on earth,' Hermione replied through gritted teeth. 'I most certainly am not available for a relationship with that freckled git.'

'So, you're not single?'

'I am… I just, don't normally date – anyone actually,' she said, looking at her hands that were clasped together in her lap. 'Ron betrayed my trust and was extremely deceptive.'

'Not all men are like that, you know,' Neville said softly.

Hermione looked up at him, surprised by his words. She saw warmth in his eyes that she had a feeling was reflected in her own. And for that brief moment, she didn't care, until she finally came to her senses and averted her eyes once more. Angry with herself for revealing more than she wanted, she pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and picked up her quill.

'Let's get back to work.'

* * *

To be continued.


	7. Chapter 7: Restriction

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Genevieve for her help as my beta.

* * *

As she examined herself in the mirror that morning to ensure she looked neat and professional, Hermione plucked at the front of her top, unhappy with the way it was sitting.

Growling in frustration, she went to her wardrobe and started going through her assortment of blouses. She finally came across a nice champagne-coloured silk blouse that appealed to her state of mind. Removing her thick black work robes, she quickly unbuttoned her current top and tossed it onto her bed where it immediately hung itself on a coat hanger and returned itself to her wardrobe. Once she had the new top on and had tucked it into her fitted charcoal pencil skirt, she pulled her robe on hurriedly.

Of all the days she could have fussed and picked at her appearance, it had to be the only day that she really needed to be on time. Summoning her briefcase, she Apparated to Diagon Alley and hurried to the Ministry where she was supposed to be meeting Neville out front. As she approached she saw he was already waiting, dressed in nice black slacks with a pressed black shirt tucked in, his blue Auror robes providing a nice contrast.

Hermione was pleased he had chosen to dress more formally on that occasion. The Malfoys were still high society despite the fact that Lucius was in prison. Draco had inherited everything upon his father's imprisonment, which had left him extremely wealthy. The downside was that it was an unsaid expectation for anyone going to Malfoy Manor to arrive well dressed. She was glad she hadn't needed to remind Neville of this – although, why she was surprised, she had no idea. So far he had shown himself to have an exemplary work ethic.

'Good morning,' she greeted as she arrived at the top of the stairs.

'Hello to you,' he replied with a smile. 'Are you ready to go to the Manor?'

'As ready as I'll ever be,' she replied with a sigh. 'Come on. Let's get this over and done with so we can try and wrap this case up.'

The two of them went to the Ministry Floo network. They stepped into the fireplace together and Hermione grabbed a small pouch from her robes that contained the Floo powder they would need to activate the hearth. They both took a decent pinch of the powder in their hands and once she had put the remaining powder away, they called out 'Malfoy Manor' in unison.

Hermione felt the uncomfortable feeling of suction as they were pulled into the network and spiralled on the way to their destination. The fireplaces they passed were a blur and she felt her stomach turn. She closed her eyes and willed the trip to be swift. Her wish was granted when they were unceremoniously spat out on the other end and dropped into the fireplace in the Manor's front sitting room.

Hermione's legs felt wobbly and when she went to take a step forward, she nearly fell over. Neville grasped her elbow, pulling her upright and letting her lean her weight against his solid form while she recovered. She was finally able to stand on her own two feet without wobbling when a house elf entered the room with a 'pop.'

'You is being expected by the Master and Mistress in the library,' the elf squeaked. 'Mopsie will be taking you there, Missy and Mister.'

'Thank you, Mopsie,' Neville replied for both of them before turning to look at Hermione. 'Are you feeling well enough to walk now?'

'I'll be fine, let's get going,' she replied with a nod to the house elf.

They followed the creature up the main stairs and Hermione was amused to hear the creature humming off-key the entire way. When they reached the first floor landing, they went left and to the very end where an ornate oak door stood before them. With a click of its finger, Mopsie opened the doors and led the way inside the room. Draco and Narcissa, who were both sitting down in front of the large fireplace, stood to greet them.

'Thank you for coming here today, Miss Granger,' Narcissa said politely. 'And you too, Auror Longbottom. A pleasure to see you as always.'

'Good day to you, Ma'am,' Neville replied courteously. 'Hello Draco.'

Draco nodded, his silver eyes coming to life with something akin to amusement. 'Hello, Neville, Hermione,' he said, gesturing for everyone to take a seat on the two lounges in front of the fire.

As they sat down, Hermione noticed that there was a full tea service with scones, teacakes and sandwiches on the coffee table between the two lounge chairs. Draco sat beside his mother, which left the other chair for herself and Neville to occupy. She put a good amount of distance between the two of them, placing her briefcase on her lap so she could withdraw a Muggle ballpoint pen and a lined notepad to take notes with of their discussion.

Narcissa waved her wand to levitate the teapot and began pouring tea into four cups. 'Does anyone take milk or sugar?' she asked, looking at between Hermione and Neville.

'Black for me, please,' Hermione replied.

'I'll have a little milk please,' Neville answered.

Milk was poured into three of the cups before they were magically distributed to each of them. Placing her writing implements to the side, she accepted the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. An awkward silence fell over the room as the four of them sipped their tea. Hermione, becoming impatient, placed her cup and saucer down on the empty space of the coffee table in front of her and cleared her throat to speak.

'Mrs. Malfoy, I'm sure you understand just how important it is for your husband's case that we get all of the information that we need today,' she said.

Narcissa nodded. 'I do understand, and I am grateful that you have made such an effort to come here and get that information from us,' she replied. 'Mr. Jennings and Hyde both assured me that you were the best Solicitor in their firm.'

Hermione felt a blush travel across her cheeks and down her neck. 'Um, that was very kind of them to say so,' she said, feeling a little flustered by that piece of information. 'I know you will also be aware that the information in the Ministry archive files does not look promising. It will take a great deal more than my ability to twist information to make the red in your husband's ledger disappear.'

'Yes, and that is why my son and I have agreed to cooperate and reveal to you information that my husband asked us to conceal when he went to Azkaban,' she said quietly. 'You see, Miss Granger, if my husband had not been wracked with guilt after the war had ended, he might not have gone to prison at all.'

Hermione frowned at this information, cryptic as it was. 'Please explain,' she said, picking up her notebook and pen.

'We have a number of sources that we would like for you to take as well as a list of people you can contact for confirmation of the information that we are about to pass on to you today,' she said. 'My husband is a good man, despite having been forced to do a great deal of terrible things in his life. He took some bad advice from many unscrupulous people which has led him to his current predicament.'

'What my mother is trying to say is that my father never wanted to be a Death Eater,' Draco said, only managing to confuse Hermione further.

She looked to Neville beside her who looked equally perplexed. 'You do realise that you could be put on trial for withholding evidence, the both of you?' he said, frowning at them.

Narcissa nodded. 'Lucius made us swear an oath to him that we were unable to circumvent until recently,' she said softly. 'Draco found a Wizard in China who is an expert at reversing wand oaths. He is one of those on the list I will give you to contact. As soon as we were able, we contacted Jennings and Hyde in order to procure his early release.'

'So, what is this secret that you have been unable to tell us until now?' Hermione asked as she finished scribbling the last of her notes.

'Lucius was forced to join Tom Riddle when he had just finished his schooling at Hogwarts. I was not his wife then, but our fathers had already betrothed us. His father, Abraxas threatened to beat his mother to death if he did not agree to join Riddle's cause,' she said, her voice quivering with unshed tears. 'He is an arrogant man at times, yes, but my Lucius is not the monster everyone thinks him to be.'

Narcissa's tears escaped her and Draco withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to her, patting her affectionately on the back. When he was certain that she was okay, he looked over at Hermione.

'Before Riddle's death, he made my father swear an oath to continue his work and if there was a time when he were to perish, to do whatever it took to bring him back,' he said seriously. 'He made my father swear on the life of my mother and myself. I was only a baby when this happened.'

'Lucius was too scared to fight against the vow and we did not have the knowledge of breaking vows that we do now. He saw no other option but to comply for he was not willing to risk my life and Draco's to defy that madman,' Narcissa said, tears still continuing to flow.

'When you were captured during the second uprising, Hermione, my father shielded you from the worst of my aunt's Cruciatus Curse. People died here from the strength of her curse. Did you never wonder why it was that you got off so easily?' Draco asked.

'But he did not have a wand. Harry disarmed him!' she argued.

'He's a Malfoy. He doesn't need a wand to do powerful magic,' Draco said, a little of his pure blood arrogance creeping into his tone. 'Surely you don't use your wand for everything, Granger.'

She paused for a moment and thought back to that day in Malfoy Manor. Once Dobby had helped them to escape and they had arrived at Shell Cottage, she vaguely remembered Fleur and Bill whispering to one another about a protective enchantment that had been placed on her. She had always assumed that it had been Dobby's magic that had saved her from most of the pain. Perhaps she had been wrong all that time?

'I thought it was Dobby, the elf who rescued us,' she whispered.

'The only thing that my husband is guilty of is doing whatever it took to protect and preserve the lives of the people he loved,' Narcissa said then, the tears all but finished.

'What happened to Abraxas?' Neville asked curiously.

'He was one of the casualties in the first Riddle uprising,' Narcissa explained. 'Unfortunately he did not die soon enough to prevent the Malfoy name from being sullied with corruption and murder.'

Hermione sat back as she absorbed all of this information. She was astounded and overwhelmed. When she had been preparing herself for this meeting today, she certainly had not been expecting for them to tell her all of this. All she had thought they'd be able to give her were a few kind deeds he performed over the years, not an entire secret family history. She would, of course, have to follow up all of the leads and collect whatever documentation they had of the blessed events, but she had a feeling that having Lucius Malfoy released was going to be a walk in the park for her.

'Okay, this was an extremely intense conversation,' she said quietly, her hands resting idly in her lap.

'We understand that this was probably a shock for you,' Draco said almost kindly.

'It was more than a bloody shock,' Neville interrupted before the young Malfoy could say anything else. 'You could have warned us some.'

'Ideally we would have, but we felt that if the information was leaked, it would put the trial in jeopardy.'

'So, bearing all of that in mind, do you think you'll be able to make a case for him?' Draco asked, looking at Hermione.

She cleared her throat and nodded. 'Yes, I think this will definitely be enough to be getting on with,' she answered. 'Of course, before we leave we'd appreciate it if you could give me anything you have that we can use with us – memories, journals, contact names and addresses.'

'We already have that ready and waiting to take with you,' Narcissa replied. 'Mopsie, bring that special package from my room, if you please.'

A moment later Mopsie entered the room with a 'pop' carrying a thick stack of parchment and leather-bound journals as well as two vials with silvery wisps of memory floating in them. The elf took them over to Hermione who accepted them politely and carefully arranged them into her briefcase to look at over the next couple of weeks.

'Excellent, well I would like to thank you for your time and for seeing us today,' she said, standing up from the lounge.

Neville followed suit and both Malfoy's then stood in order to see them downstairs to the sitting room fireplace. The four of them stood in front of the empty hearth, and once the formalities were observed, Hermione and Neville walked into the fireplace together and tossed their Floo powder, calling out 'The Ministry of Magic' as their destination. The trip back wasn't nearly as bad as they one there had been. They walked out and caught the lift to the floor his office was on and in no time, were sitting at Neville's desk, both silent.

'That was not what I was expecting,' he said suddenly, drawing her out of her reverie.

'I know what you mean,' she said in return, looking up at him. 'I've never felt sorry for a Malfoy the entire time that I've known that family, and yet…'

'I do as well,' Neville agreed.

She stared at his face and knew that they were the pictures of overwhelmed surprise. Despite the frazzled state of her mind, Hermione's brain decided to wander into dangerous territory as she took note of how his hair was falling about his face almost haphazardly, so unlike it's usual tidy state. She smiled. The messiness suited him, but also looked like he was due for a haircut.

'What're you smiling at?' he asked, bemused.

'Just a thought,' she replied, averting her gaze.

Neville raised an eyebrow, which she saw in her peripherals. 'You really ought to know that I can read you better than that by now,' he said seriously. 'Why do you always close up the way you do?'

'To protect myself,' she said simply, hoping he would drop the conversation. 'We really should get to work.'

She looked up in time to see Neville fight with himself as to whether he would argue with her or not. When he frowned and shook his head slightly, she knew he wasn't going to press the issue for now.

'Okay, let's get started.'

* * *

To be continued.


	8. Chapter 8: Respect

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to Genevieve for all of her help as my beta.

* * *

The paperwork cluttering the desk was piled so high that one could barely see from one side to another.

Hermione pushed a curly tendril of hair out of her eyes so that she could finish reading what she had just written on the sheet of parchment in front of her. She sighed when the curl floated back into her face, forcing her to sit back and pull her wand out to secure it magically. Once she was sure it was out of her way to stay, she put her wand back into the inner pocket of her robes and put her head down to look at her work again.

Across from her, Neville was just visible over the parchment, journals and books. There was a pensieve on one side of the desk which held all of the pertinent memories they had been given by various witnesses and friends of Malfoy who also desired to see him set free. Hermione had so many resources at her disposal now that she hardly knew what she was actually going to use. If she had to work on her own, she probably would be stuck in an office for months. As it was, Neville was an extremely competent assistant and was cutting that time in half.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and let her head fall forward to rest against her arms as they were propped on the desk in front of her.

She was so tired. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in days. Most of the time she worked into the early hours of the morning looking at depositions and surrounded by research notes and parchment all over her bed. A lot of the time she was passing out amidst those notes and would wake up in the morning with an ink smudge on her face. Those mornings she would make sure she checked her face twice in the mirror before she left home in case she missed any of it.

'We can take a break, if you need one,' Neville said, trying to look over the pile at her.

Hermione lifted her head up and stared at him for a moment. She hadn't noticed how tired he looked as well earlier, but she saw it now. She felt her stomach rumble and eventually nodded.

'Okay, let's take a break for lunch,' she said with a decisive nod. 'I need to eat something or I won't be able to keep working today.'

'We could just finish up for the day now if you like and pick it up tomorrow after we've had some sleep,' Neville suggested, moving one of the piles of books out of his way so he could see her properly.

Hermione thought about that for a moment. If she wasn't so tired she would probably have an easier time building the case. The only problem was if she did take half a day off to herself, she would be behind in her schedule. She sighed, looking down at the task list in front of her. She couldn't afford to take half a day off – she had a whole weekend ahead of her at the end of the day to catch up on sleep.

'No, we should crack on with our work after lunch,' she said seriously before looking at her hands. They were trembling slightly. She groaned inwardly. She really needed a break. 'Actually, maybe we should just take off for the day now.'

Neville looked up at her curiously. 'Are you sure?' he asked.

'I am,' she replied. 'I don't feel one hundred per cent. I don't think it will do us or the Malfoy's any good if we give it less than our full attention.'

Hermione began to put all of the paperwork into her briefcase, sorting them into small piles and binding them with a spell before shrinking them. She closed her briefcase and stood, pulling on her discarded robe. She looked over to see Neville had pulled his robes as well. Once they were sure the office was tidy, the two of them left, both silent. When they reached the Apparation point in Diagon Alley, Hermione finally turned to face him, looking up into his hazel eyes.

'I'll see you next week?' she asked with a quasi-smile.

'See you then,' he replied with a tired smile. 'Take it easy, Hermione.'

A moment later, he was gone. Hermione stared at the spot he had occupied for a moment before she realised what she was doing. Shaking her head, she Apparated to the front hall of her apartment, hanging up her work robes on one of the coat hooks by the front door. She walked upstairs and into her library, dropping her briefcase off on the desk at the far end. Afterwards, Hermione dragged herself to the kitchen and fixed herself a bowl of chicken and corn soup and a mug of tea before sitting down at the table to eat.

Once she had eaten something and replenished her strength, she felt a whole lot better – so much better that she began to question her earlier judgement on leaving off work for the rest of the day.

She cleaned up the kitchen and stacked the dishes in a rack as she washed them, leaving them to air dry. Afterwards, she walked back upstairs to the library and opened her briefcase, sitting behind the desk and withdrawing the long list of things she still needed to do before she could speak to Lucius Malfoy about the trial. She grabbed a quill and some ink and went along the list, crossing off things she and Neville had already completed. One particular item on the list took her fancy and she circled it, deciding to do one last thing for the day at the very least.

Closing the briefcase, she picked it up and made her way downstairs to grab her robes and Apparate out of her apartment. A moment later she was standing in the busy lobby at St. Mungo's. There were people everywhere that day and she struggled to push her way through to the front desk to speak to one of the Administrative witches. She quickly asked for directions from the first witch that was free, and headed straight for the lifts. She pressed the button for the sixth floor in order to access the offices and information storage.

The doors were slowly closing when a foot appeared and jammed the door, much to her frustration. She was surprised when Neville stood before her when the doors reopened once more.

'Neville?' she asked, confused.

'Hermione,' he replied, also surprised. 'I didn't expect to see you again today.'

'I was just coming here to collect the file on the injuries and illnesses Lucius Malfoy has been treated for since he was put in Azkaban,' she explained.

He quickly entered the lift fully and pressed the button for the fourth floor. 'I thought we agreed that we were finished for the day?' he questioned.

'I decided to get this one last task done before the weekend,' she answered. 'I feel a little guilty for shirking my responsibilities.'

He frowned for a moment before nodding. 'I'm just here to visit my folks,' he said, just as the lift stopped at his floor.

'Well, this is your stop,' she said as the doors opened.

'You know, I'd be happy for some company while I'm visiting,' he murmured. 'My parents like meeting new people too – you know, when they are lucid enough to notice other people in the room.'

'Oh,' Hermione said softly as he stood, blocking the doors. 'I supposed I could spare a little while…'

'Excellent,' he said with that smile of his that confused her so much. 'In exchange, I'll go up to the sixth floor with you later to get Malfoy's file.'

'Alright,' Hermione agreed hesitantly, following Neville out of the lift.

She didn't know where they were going so she followed Neville closely, picking up her speed to keep up with his long strides. A couple of minutes later they rounded a corner and Neville stopped in front of the room that obviously contained his parents. He opened the door and went in, leading the way. Hermione carefully followed him in, a frightening mix of curiosity and nervousness filling her. She took in the room properly once she stepped inside properly, closing the door behind her as she went.

Tucked snuggly into their beds, Neville's parents were both fast asleep. Hermione examined them both carefully, taking in their aged faces. They definitely looked like his parents, although she could see a great deal more of his mother in his appearance than his father. Both of them had a decent amount of silver through their brown hair. His mother was smiling in her sleep, which Hermione found a little unnerving.

When she had taken the Longbottom's in, Hermione finally turned her gaze to Neville. He had walked over and sat in one of the chairs placed between his parent's beds. What she saw then nearly broke her heart. He let down his guard and she saw a lone tear slide down his cheek before he reached up and brushed a lock of hair away from his mother's sleeping face. Leaning closer, he placed a kiss on her cheek and whispered a soft 'hello' to her.

'Hello, dad,' he murmured softly, switching his focus to his father in the other bed.

Hermione shook herself from her silent reverie then and walked towards Neville hesitantly. He looked up at her then and smiled, gesturing to the seat beside him that sat closest to Frank Longbottom. She felt like an intruder in this scene, but he had asked her to, and she knew exactly why she had agreed to it. She knew her feelings for Neville were fast beginning to morph from mere attraction into something more. And after watching him take down the calm, confident, charming skin that he wore for the world, she saw that he was just as scared, lonely and vulnerable as she was.

And for some bizarre reason, she respected him more for it.

There was just something so comforting knowing that there was more to him than just the perfect Auror and workaholic everyone saw. Despite her obvious attraction to this new, strong Neville she had been getting to know, she was just as attracted to the shy, sweet boy he used to be. Hermione was glad to know that he could be both Neville's she knew.

In that moment, she realised it was even more important than ever to maintain her distance from him. The stronger her attachment grew, the harder it was to resist, and she could not handle being placed in a position that would be compromising. She knew that she would have to fight it for both of their sakes.

'Hello, Mr Longbottom,' Hermione said finally, looking at the father of this strange, amazing man she sat beside.

'I think he'd insist that you call him Frank,' Neville said with a soft chuckle.

'I prefer to remain formal until I've been given leave to call him by his first name,' she replied.

'My parent's are hardly going to worry over a little formality like that,' he said with a smile – that smile she liked.

'I think I will wait and see what they have to say for themselves when they wake up, thank you,' she said with smirk.

The two of them sat there for an hour, watching as his parents continue to sleep their way through the afternoon. Hermione listened to him as he spoke to her about the way that they normally were when they were awake. He told her a few stories that his grandmother had told him about them when they were young – before they had been taken by Death Eater's and cursed. As she listened, she kept trying to tell herself that she couldn't allow herself to fall for him – it just wasn't professional.

After a while a Healer walked into the room to do a routine check-up on the Longbottom's. Before he left he turned around, smiled and nodded at the two of them.

'I just wanted to let you know that your parents might not wake up for another couple of hours. We had to give them a light sedative because they were experiencing severe headaches before you arrived,' he said seriously. 'I apologise for not letting you know earlier.'

'Are they going to be okay?' Hermione asked, frowning.

'Thanks for letting us know,' Neville said, with a smile before the Healer departed.

Hermione looked at her watch then and realised just how late it was getting and jumped up from her chair. Neville looked at her curiously.

'It's half past four,' she explained. 'I have to go up to the sixth floor to get those files for our case or I'll have to come back next Monday.'

'Oh,' Neville said before looking back and forth between his still-sleeping parents. 'I could come up with you if you'd like.'

Despite the fact that Hermione knew it to be an abominably bad idea, she still had to think about it for a moment. If she said yes and Neville went up with her, they'd probably talk and little bits of information about one another would be passed back and forth. She would probably end up more attracted to him than she already was, and it would likely weaken her resolve to resist her attraction. No – she could not allow herself to be so stupid.

'No, it's okay,' she replied. 'You stay here with your parents. I'll go up alone and be out of there in no time. I'll probably go home and go through the file to see if there is anything we can use.'

'I hope you plan on taking a break on the weekend, Hermione,' Neville said seriously, standing up and walking her to the door. 'You work too hard.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' Hermione replied, opening the door. 'Have a good weekend, Neville.'

She panicked when he leaned in to plant a kiss her on the cheek and quickly pulled back, a soft gasp escaping her. Neville looked at her, confused by her sudden movement. She blushed and turning away, fled as quickly as her feet could carry her. Once she was out of sight, she slowed down and took a deep breath. She was so flustered, confused and embarrassed by what had just happened. Why did he have to be so nice and sweet and then try to kiss her? She was going out of her mind.

Groaning inwardly, she walked straight over to the lift and punched the 'up' button and waited for the elevator to reach her floor.

The 'ding' announced its arrival and she walked in through the doors before pressing the button for the sixth floor. Closing her eyes, she fell against the wall and sighed heavily. She resisted the urge to sit down on the floor and hold her head. Why was this case and working with Neville becoming more complicated every day? In an ideal world, she would have met him somewhere other than work and they might have had a chance for a relationship. She might have worked up the courage to ask him on a date.

But even if that opportunity had presented itself, would she have taken a chance? What made her think that she wouldn't run away from him as she had Ron and every other man she had ever been attracted to?

The doors to the lift opened and she walked out and headed towards the offices. She pushed all of her chaotic thoughts from her mind when she approached the reception desk. The problem wasn't going to go away. She had more important things to do.

* * *

To be continued.

* * *

A/N: This will likely be the last chapter posted until the end of next month due to the upcoming holiday. Both my beta and myself will be very busy, and I will be going overseas on a family holiday for two weeks in the new year. I'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays.


	9. Chapter 9: Rivalry

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to my beta Genevieve for all of her hard work.

* * *

The piles of documents on the table were laid out all over her study and covered every spare surface available.

Hermione walked into the room and began piling the relevant documents into her briefcase. She brushed a stray curl out of her face distractedly, tucking it behind her ear as she closed the case. Once she had taken one last look around the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she rushed down the stairs and grabbed her black formal robes from the hook by the front door. Pulling them on, she took a moment to breathe before Apparating to Diagon Alley.

Hurrying in the direction of the Ministry, Hermione heard the sound of the clock striking nine as she approached the marble stairs leading up to her destination. As she reached the top of the stairs, she could already see a shock of familiar red hair looming just beyond the large double doors into the Ministry foyer. Ron was standing beside Neville right in front of the fountain in the centre of the foyer waiting, both of them with their backs turned. Neville's hands were tucked into the pockets of his work robes and Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat.

She steeled herself, clenching her free hand and tucking it into the pocket of her robes before pressing on towards them.

'Good morning, Neville, Ronald,' she said just loudly enough to announce herself to them.

They spun around to face her and Hermione caught Neville's special smile. Her heart paused in her chest for a moment.

'Hello,' he said, the smile still on his lips.

'Hey, Hermione,' Ron greeted, throwing an arm around her without invitation, pulling her into an embrace. 'It's been too long since I saw your last. You've been holing yourself up with Neville for too long.'

Hermione had to stop herself from frowning then. Why did Ron say that? She quickly extricated herself from his embrace and cleared her throat uncomfortably. She still wasn't used to the way Ron had been so familiar with her since her return. It made her feel a little uncomfortable if she was honest. She turned to face both men, moving a comfortable distance away from both of them. Confusion washed over her when she noticed that Ron was shooting a somewhat annoyed look at Neville for no apparent reason.

'Are we ready to leave?' she asked.

Neville nodded firmly. 'Let's go now. Ron here has organised a Portkey for us,' he said, gesturing in the direction of the lifts.

The three of them made their way to the lifts and travelled up two floors to the Department of Magic Transport in order to collect their Portkey. The witch at the front reception desk led them through to the transport room and placed a small, empty plastic water bottle into Hermione's hands.

'The three of you grab a hold of that now. It's set to activate in just a couple of minutes,' the witch said, scribbling something down on the clipboard she was holding with a brown feather quill.

Neville and Ron both took hold of the bottle on either side of her. A moment later, Hermione felt a tug around her navel and immediately felt her stomach turn as they were pulled into a vortex and the scenery around them became a blur. She felt Ron use his free hand to grasp her shoulder a moment before he let go of the bottle. She saw Neville do the same thing on her other side. Taking a deep breath, she let go of the bottle herself and felt herself falling rapidly before slowing down and dropping to her feet.

She would have fell over were it not for the fact that Neville was by her side in a moment, grasping her by the elbow and steadying her.

'Thanks,' she said, gasping for breath and trying to prevent herself from throwing up her breakfast.

'You really don't do well with magical transportation, do you?' Neville asked, directing her over to a bench so she could sit down.

She sat, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths until her head stopped spinning. After she felt a little better she opened her eyes and took a look around. They were in a dull, grey, dirty courtyard. She got up from the bench and walked over to join the two men by the large iron door. She could feel a slight shift in her magic when they walked past a series of wards to keep the unwanted out and the inmates inside.

A slot on the door opened after they pressed a button beside it and two eyes appeared. 'Names?' the man barked.

'Hermione Granger, Auror Weasley and Auror Longbottom,' Neville replied.

There were a few loud clunking noises before the heavy door swung open to admit them. They passed the guard who was dressed in dark grey Ministry robes and continued along a tight hallway until they reached another bolted iron door. Hermione pressed another buzzer beside the door and the process was repeated with the iron door opening and revealing the second guard. Beyond him were several secure visitor rooms, one of which they would be waiting for Lucius Malfoy. A third guard led them into the first room where she and Neville took their seats on one side of a desk, while Ron took his seat beside the door.

As she waited nervously, Hermione pulled a few things out of her briefcase and arranged them on the table in front of her.

'Are you nervous?' Neville asked suddenly, startling her.

She smoothed her hands over the cardboard folder in front of her. 'I'm fine,' she lied, not bothering to look up at him.

She could tell he was going to say something else before he was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Hermione turned her head just in time to see a much thinner Lucius Malfoy being led by one of the guards. His hands were magically bound in front of him and his long blonde hair looked greasy and matted, pulled back from his face with a leather thong. She was shocked by just how pale and sickly he looked. The guard pushed him down into the chair across from them and left with a silent nod. Once the door was firmly closed, Hermione pushed one of the folders across the table for him.

'Good morning, Mr. Malfoy,' she said, looking him firmly in the eyes.

He turned his bloodshot steely grey eyes up to look at her, but his expression did not change. He had a look of defeat that exuded from every pore and wrinkle that had appeared on his face.

'Good morning, Miss Granger,' he replied. 'To what do I owe the honour of your presence today?'

'I am here to discuss something of great importance with you,' she answered. 'I am representing the firm Jennings and Hyde on behalf of your wife and son. They have appealed to the Wizengamot to have you released on early parole.'

'What?' he rasped, frowning. 'But, that is not possible. Narcissa entered into an unbreakable vow with me. She would have died…'

'Draco and Narcissa spent the last few years looking for a way to break that vow, and they finally did this year. They contacted the firm I am currently work for, and ever since have been working on building a case to have you released on a strict early parole,' she explained.

'I did this in order to ensure I paid for all of my crimes,' Lucius said, his tone filled with annoyance. 'Narcissa is ridiculous to pursue this.'

'With all due respect, Mr. Malfoy, you are being ridiculous yourself. Your wife and son love you and miss you very much. If the situations were reversed, surely you would do whatever it takes to have them released,' Hermione said seriously.

Hermione heard a cough come from by the door and glanced briefly towards Ron, shooting him a chastening look. She didn't need him to provoke anything while they were there that day. She had spent far too much of her time building the case only to have it ruined by a stupid comment from the redhead behind them. She turned her eyes back just in time to see Lucius watching her interaction with her friend with interest.

'I want to discuss the information we have uncovered to build your case for you now, if that's alright with you?' she said, trying to divert the general discomfort and hostility in the room.

'I suppose I will have to, won't I? After all, my family has already spent a great deal of money and you have invested a lot of time into the case,' he replied with a heavy sigh. 'It would be unforgivable of me to waste all of that.'

Hermione nodded. 'Okay, to begin with, your trial is set for exactly two weeks from today,' she replied.

'Auror Weasley and myself will be here to collect you at exactly half past eight that morning,' Neville said, speaking for the first time since Lucius had entered. 'Kingsley Shacklebolt insisted that you have only the best security detail if, worst case scenario, someone tries to abduct or kill you before the trial.'

'I'm not surprised I still have a price on my head,' Lucius said, nodding in understanding. 'And I thank Auror Shacklebolt for being so thorough in his considerations.'

'The original plan was that only Ronald would escort you,' Hermione continued. 'But I feel that your safety is extremely important.'

'Is there anything else that I should be aware of?' the blond man asked.

'Yes, I want to give you the details on what information I will be using in your defence during the trial. I don't want you to be surprised or unprepared,' she said, opening the file and pushing a small pile of papers towards him. 'I will be using various memories from members of your family and also the vow breaking specialist that your wife hired to destroy the bond that kept her from trying to prevent you from going to prison in the first place.'

'There are also a few witness accounts that a few other distant relatives of yours sent us via the post that we will be including in the file for the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the other judges to peruse,' Neville piped up. 'There isn't much else we can really tell you that isn't contained in that folder.'

'Is there a particular way that you expect me to act whilst on trial?' Lucius asked, a slight frown creasing his brow.

'Contrite would be best, and somewhat humble,' Hermione said seriously. 'I know you might find both of those things difficult, but I would appreciate it. It would make my job that much easier.'

'I'll do whatever I must,' he replied.

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. She hadn't expected Malfoy to be so agreeable. Everything she had previously assumed about the man was proving to be untrue, and she was struggling to come to terms with it herself. She knew Ron wasn't as accepting as she had been so far and still suspected the man of foul play. But it was solid evidence, and Neville had even said that he was certain the sources were true.

'Okay, then I think we might be finished here for today,' she announced, with a small, unsure smile and a nod at Malfoy. 'We will see you on the day of the hearing. I will send you an Owl as soon as the date for the trial has been confirmed.'

'I look forward to hearing from you,' Lucius said with a gracious nod.

Neville stood and held a hand out towards Lucius, which surprised Hermione and apparently Ron also, judging by the gasp from over by the door. The two men before her shook hands. Hermione held her hand out to Lucius also and they shook hands as well before they left the table. Leading the way out of the room, she was tailed closely by both Ron and Neville until they were outside in the courtyard of the prison once more.

'I didn't organise a Portkey for our return,' Ron replied. 'I'm about to knock off for the day and I figured we could just Apparate back.'

'We'll have to Apparate to Glasgow and Leeds on the way back to London,' Hermione grumbled. 'It might have been nice if you saved us the trips.'

'I can Apparate with you if you'd like,' Ron offered. 'I know you get sick from magical travel.'

Neville cleared his throat from beside her. 'No need, Ron,' he said, glancing at Hermione. 'We're both heading back to the Ministry to work for the rest of today. You can head home if you like.'

Ron's brow creased in annoyance, and he looked as though he really wanted to say something. Hermione was confused by his behaviour and turned to look at Neville only to note that his jaw was clenched and throbbing ever so slightly. She hadn't seen him look that way before, and in that moment, she knew that something was wrong between the two of them. Sensing that she might have to intervene at any moment, she cleared her throat to break the awkward silence.

'Ron, you go on home,' she said softly. 'Neville and I are just fine to make it back to the Ministry ourselves.'

Ron threw one last sour look at Neville before nodding sullenly. 'Fine,' he said curtly. 'I'll see you around.'

With that, he spun on his heel and disappeared with a pop.

Hermione sighed and spun around to face Neville. 'What was all that about?' she demanded.

'Ronald is having a hard time coming to terms with the amount of time we spend in one another's presence,' he said, looking at his shoes. 'He's jealous that I was assigned to work with you instead of him.'

'Why on earth is it any concern of his?' she asked, confused. 'Kingsley is the one who made the assignments for this case.'

'Unfortunately Ron is under the impression that this case was going to be his ticket back into your good books again,' Neville replied with an impatient sigh. 'How on earth did you not notice the way he is constantly trying to ask you to eat with him and spend time with him. It doesn't even matter that he's dating Lavender Brown. He's just dragging her along while he tries to win his way back with you because he's afraid of being alone.'

Hermione stared at the man in front of her, shocked by his outburst. Where on earth had all that pent-up anger come from? 'I… I'm sorry?' she blurted out, not sure of what else to say. 'How on earth do you know all of this anyway?'

Neville shook his head and sighed heavily at her. 'For the brightest witch of her age, you sure can be thick sometimes,' he muttered.

'What?'

He shook his head again and grabbed her arm. 'It doesn't matter,' he said, staring straight ahead. 'Let's get back to work.'

Confused, but unwilling to enter into an argument, Hermione simply nodded and with a soft 'pop' they Apparated away from Azkaban.

* * *

To be continued.


	10. Chapter 10: Riddles

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to the lovely DHLane for the beta of this chapter.

* * *

The click of her heels against the parquet floor echoed as she paced back and forth. Her teeth worried her lower lip as her nerves slowly began to get the better of her.

The side door to the chamber opened finally and Hermione spun around to face the source of the noise. She watched as Neville and Ron led a magically bound Lucius Malfoy into the drawing room and saw Ron point at the chairs by the fire. She walked over and joined him there, sitting on the lounge chair opposite him. She noted that his appearance was slightly more kempt that it had been when she had visited him in Azkaban only eleven days before. Someone had taken great pains to make him look tidy despite his gauntness in a pair of plain black trousers and a tucked-in navy shirt.

Hermione didn't particularly care for that colour on him, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't a case to dispute fashion after all. The stakes were much higher than that. Not only was his freedom on the line, but Neville's reputation and her job also hung in the balance. She couldn't afford to look bad – not with her employers scrutinizing her tiniest move in that courtroom.

With a wave of her wand, a tea service appeared on the coffee table in front of the two of them and she moved forward in her seat to pour.

'How do you take your tea, Mr Malfoy?' she asked, pouring two cups.

'White with one sugar, thank you,' he answered, accepting the cup when it was handed to him.

'Are you ready?' she asked as Neville took a seat beside her.

'As I'll ever be, I suppose,' Lucius answered.

'We want to just run through everything with you one last time before this begins,' Hermione started, handing the second cup of tea to Neville before beginning to prepare one for herself.

'Ronald and I will be escorting you into the courtroom and you will, regrettably, be magically chained to the chair in the centre,' Neville explained. 'After that, Hermione will address the court on your behalf and the proceedings will begin.'

'The judge will ask you to either take a vow of honesty or take Veritaserum before we go any further,' Hermione continued.

'I understand,' Lucius said with a nod, taking a sip of his tea.

'I will begin by showing the Wizengamot the files and letters I have compiled and follow by showing the memories your witnesses bestowed upon us for the trial,' she said, stirring sugar into her own teacup. 'After that, I will call your wife, your son, and finally you to the witness stand to make statements before the court. Hopefully after all of that, I will be able to offer conditions for your early release, which they will accept. Then you'll be free, even if it is on parole.'

'A shortened parole?' he asked curiously.

'I will be asking them for two years instead of the standard five,' Hermione affirmed with a nod.

She stood from her spot on the lounge and collected her briefcase, nodding at Neville before heading across to the door that led to the courtroom. Turning back, she took another moment to look at Lucius.

'Good luck today, Mr Malfoy,' she said with a small smile.

'Thank you, Miss Granger,' he replied. 'Good luck to you as well, although I fear at this point that might sound a little self-serving.'

Hermione's smile widened at that before she turned on her heel and walked through the door that led to the courtroom. She was surprised to see that there was not a single seat left empty in the entire room. She sighed. It was Lucius Malfoy on trial, after all. It was, more or less, expected that the public would be curious to see how it went. She had a feeling that they would be surprised by the case she had built.

As she gazed around the room she caught sight of her employers who both nodded at her and smiled encouragingly. She flashed a nervous smile back at them and let her eyes continue to wander. Draco and Narcissa were seated in the witness section along with the wizard from China, who looked a little nervous if the sweat on his brow was anything to go by. Harry and Pansy both smiled and waved at her from their seats towards the front. It seemed being the Boy Who Lived still meant something to the magical world. She was about to walk over and speak to them when the Chief Warlock cleared his throat to call the room to order.

Hermione quickly took her seat behind the desk for the defendant and pulled her case files out of her briefcase, organising it on the table before her.

'Welcome,' Tiberius Ogden said, his deep voice resonating through the room. 'I would like to call this trial to order. In the matter of the Wizarding World versus Lucius Malfoy, the defendant was previously found guilty of all charges brought up against him. Some of these charges include murder, torture and extortion. This trial today is to assess whether or not the prisoner should be allowed to go free on parole. I would like to ask Mr Malfoy's representative, Ms Hermione Granger, to stand and address the court.'

Hermione pushed the nerves bubbling up to the surface down and stood from her chair, walking to a position in the room where she could address both the court and the audience.

'Thank you, Chief Warlock Ogden,' she said, addressing Ogden with a nod. 'I am here, on the behalf of Mr Malfoy, to offer up new evidence that would support his petition to be released on an early parole. I would like to call upon Mr Malfoy, who is present here today, to be a part of this trial, so that he may be at liberty to represent himself.'

'Motion granted, bring in the prisoner,' Ogden said with a wave towards the door through which Hermione had entered.

The door opened and she watched with bated breath as Neville and Ron led the magically shackled Lucius into the courtroom. He was immediately led past Hermione and placed in one of the chairs at her desk. Ron walked past Hermione with a look in his eyes that said 'it's not too late to back out, you know' and simply sauntered back to stand by the door. Hermione rolled her eyes and looked to Neville who had seated himself comfortably beside Malfoy.

'Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, I ask that you keep an open mind and try to absorb all that you will see here today. Lucius Malfoy is not an innocent man. Yes, he has done some unspeakable things, but did we not all do unspeakable things for the sake of loved ones during the war? The evidence that I offer you today consists of memories and letters that were sent to me which will show you a different motivation than previously brought out during the Lucius Malfoy case of seven years ago.'

'Bring forth your first witness,' Ogden said.

'I would like to call Master Hui Xang to the witness stand,' Hermione said clearly.

The older man stood from his place beside Draco and walked forward. His oriental style of wizards' robes stood out in the courtroom, the reds, yellows and orange providing a sharp contrast against the sea of black and navy robes. He took his seat in the witness stand and looked towards Hermione for questioning.

'Master Xang, will you please tell the court about the first time you met with Narcissa and Draco Malfoy?'

'I met the Malfoy mother and son exactly three months ago,' he replied, his accent heavy despite the translation amulet he wore around his neck. 'They came to me to ask for a the performance of a charm that would annul an Unbreakable Vow.'

'As the members of the Wizengamot will see before you, Master Xang is a charms master, and the only wizard to our knowledge, who can sever the bonds of the Unbreakable Vow without harming those bound,' Hermione said.

There was a flurry of sound as everyone turned the pages of the files Hermione had prepared for each member.

'Master Xang, can you please tell the court whether you were able to break the vow that held Narcissa and Draco Malfoy?'

'I was able to sever the bonds, strong though they were. A strong wizard cast the spell, but I could sense that the one who cast it no longer lived, so the spell was able to be broken,' he replied.

'And are you able to tell us if you know the details of the vow?'

'A vow of secrecy it was, to ensure that Mr Malfoy would be punished for committing crimes,' Master Xang replied. 'Mrs Malfoy was greatly relieved when it was removed. She had no wish for her husband to be punished when it was not his fault for many of the things he did.'

'Thank you, Master Xang. You may step down now,' Hermione said.

The man nodded solemnly and walked back to his seat amongst the crowd. Hermione then looked at Narcissa who blinked at her with a slight inclination of her chin.

'I would like to call my second witness, Narcissa Malfoy, to the witness stand.'

Narcissa moved to the stand and immediately took a seat, ever the picture of serenity. Hermione addressed her then, asking her to tell the court the exact same story that she had told her and Neville a few weeks before. As they listened, she looked around the room and took in the faces of all the people. There were more than a few expressions of shock, especially when it was revealed that Severus Snape was the one who performed the bonding charm of the Unbreakable Vow on the Malfoy's, the night before the Final Battle.

Even though only half of the evidence for the case had been revealed, Hermione knew that they were well on their way to winning. When Narcissa was finished giving her testimony, she turned to the Wizengamot to address them once more.

'I have memories that I would like the court to view, taken from Lucius Malfoy by a trained Healer of St Mungo's,' she said firmly. 'The same Healer, will be able to testify to the number of injuries that Mr Malfoy has received during his time as a prisoner in Azkaban.'

'Bring the memories forward,' Ogden said with a wave.

Hermione walked towards him, clasping the vial that contained the memories. He took the vial from her and as one, the members of the Wizengamot stood and walked out of the courtroom through the same door used by Hermione earlier. In there, they would view the memories of Malfoy's torture by some of the prison guards during his stay there. Fifteen minutes later they returned, and Hermione called the Healer to the witness stand.

Healer Wharton testified that the injuries and memories were all true before he returned to his seat.

The last piece of evidence the defence**I** would like to offer you, are the letters sent to Lucius by his father, Abraxas Malfoy,' Hermione said, walking over to Ogden with the bound stack of letters. 'Therein lies the evidence that supports the claim that Lucius Malfoy was threatened, not only by his father, but also by Tom Riddle himself, confirming the notion that Lucius Malfoy committed many crimes while under fear for the lives of both his wife and son. I have sample letters from the Ministry Archives that were written in the same hand, proving it was indeed, Abraxas Malfoy who wrote them.'

Whispering broke out amongst those in the Wizengamot and Hermione watched as many of those who had been vehemently for Malfoy's imprisonment, were already having a change of heart. After ten minutes of heated discussion and deliberation between them, Hermione waited with anxiously to hear the results of all her efforts.

'The Wizengamot would like to thank Ms Granger for all of her hard work,' Tiberius Ogden announced. 'Now that all the evidence has been presented, we will vote. All those opposed to Mr Malfoy's release?'

A couple of hands went up immediately, followed by a few more until a third of the hands were raised. Hermione felt butterflies in her stomach. They were going to win.

'All of those for his release on early parole?'

The remaining hands went up in the air, though Hermione could tell that there was still reluctance from some.

'Those who elected to vote "for" have it,' Ogden announced. 'Lucius Malfoy, you are hereby released on the terms of parole as dictated by the agreement you have signed. The court assigns Hermione Granger as your parole officer, to whom you shall report to once a fortnight until your parole has reached an end.'

With a bang of the gavel against the block on his desk, Ogden sounded the end of the trial and Lucius looked up at Hermione. She walked over to the front of the courtroom and retrieved Malfoy's wand from the Chief Warlock. He nodded stiffly at her before standing and leaving the courtroom. Returning to where Neville and Malfoy still sat, she used the wand in her hand to remove the bonds on Lucius's hands and ankles.

'You are free to go, Mr Malfoy,' she said with a smile. 'However, you must know that there are limitations already in place on your wand. You'll only be able to use basic spells for the first six months, and you won't be able to leave the country for a year. I expect to see you at my office in exactly fourteen days.'

He smiled at her, and to her surprise, put his arms around her and hugged her until she could barely breathe. 'Thank you,' he said simply before releasing her.

Neville stood and shook Malfoy's hand before the man strode purposefully over to his wife and son and put his arms around them in a tight hug. Hermione felt herself tear up a little at the reunion, but quickly blinked them back before turning to look at Neville once more.

'Congratulations,' he said, holding a hand out for her to shake.

'Thank you,' she replied. 'I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.'

'We make a fine team,' he said, smirking at her. 'You look tired. Let me take you out for a celebratory dinner.'

'I might have to rain check on that offer,' Hermione replied evasively. 'I already made plans with Harry and Pansy for tonight, but maybe in a little while.'

Neville gave her a strange look then that she couldn't read, but his nod and smile a moment later distracted her. He patted her on the shoulder then and walked away, his shoulders slightly hunched as he walked through the exit. Hermione's confusion was short-lived however, as a moment later; her employers were upon her, both boasting proud smiles.

'Congratulations on an excellent trial, Hermione,' Mr Jennings said, putting a hand out and shaking hers vigorously, followed by Mr Hyde.

'Excellent show,' Hyde said, smiling from behind his gigantic moustache.

'Thank you both for the opportunity,' she replied. 'I was grateful for the challenge.'

'We can't stay to chat now, but we would like to see you at the office first thing tomorrow to discuss your promotion to partner,' Jennings said.

Hermione felt elation soar through her at those few words. Despite knowing that the promotion was a possibility, actually hearing the words was quite another thing. She beamed at the two men before her.

'I'll see you both at nine tomorrow morning,' she said, nodding and waving as they walked away.

Standing by herself in the mostly empty courtroom, she sighed, still smiling for a moment before she turned to walk out.

* * *

To be continued.


	11. Chapter 11: Recreation

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to DHLane for her help with this chapter.

* * *

The snow was freezing cold and wet. Despite the numerous layers she wore and the spell she had cast on her boots to repel the melting ice and snow, Hermione had to wrap her arms around herself tighter to keep warm.

As she trudged along, she took a moment to reflect that it had been far too long since the last time she had seen the Hogwarts school grounds during the winter. She had almost forgotten just how beautiful everything looked with a thick blanket of white snow covering it. A few minutes later she could see the castle coming into view, the towers sparkling from where she stood. A strong gust of wind washed over her and she increased her pace, unwilling to dawdle if it meant she would freeze in the process.

It wasn't long before she arrived at the castle. She pushed open one of the heavy oak doors and slipped inside, flinching slightly as it closed with a loud 'thud' behind her.

Once inside, she immediately felt the warmth of the heating charms cast over the entrance hall. It wasn't much, but it was warm enough to remove her thick winter coat. Draping it over her arm, she took a moment to look around. The hall was already decorated with heavy velvet drapes around all of the windows, and thick dark rugs were scattered over the floor. It was a little medieval in style, but was far more welcoming now than it had been during her student years. Minerva, for all of her bluster, was a fantastic Headmistress; better than Dumbledore in her opinion.

Shaking her head, she started to make the climb up the stairs towards the fifth floor, where the Potter's made their home. On her way up she passed scores of students as they made their way from class to class. One of the downsides of coming to visit during the week, were the gawking students who stared at her as she walked through the halls. Once she reached the fifth floor, she beat a hasty path straight towards Harry's rooms. Knocking on the solid oak door few times, she stood back and waited to hear footsteps on the other side. A moment later, Pansy stood before her with a wide smile on her face.

'Hermione! Come on in!' she exclaimed, grabbing her arm and tugging her through the doorway. 'Harry's last class doesn't finish until just before lunchtime, but the boys are both excited for a visit.'

Before Hermione had a chance to say anything, two small boys came barrelling around the corner. The smaller of the two jumped up and down with his arms stretched out towards her. Grinning, Hermione lifted Noah into her arms, while Lucas settled for hugging around her legs. Shifting Noah to her left side, she gently tousled Lucas's dark hair with her free hand.

'Aunty 'Mione! I have a book!' Lucas exclaimed. 'Uncle Ronnie bought it for me yesterday.'

'Oh, how wonderful,' Hermione said, sharing a look with Pansy.

Allowing herself to be led over to the lounge suite before the fireplace, Hermione found herself being nudged onto the lounger chair with Noah, while Lucas scampered off to find his book. He ran back into the room clutching the book to his chest. Pansy entered a moment later carrying a tray laden with teacups, a teapot and plate of sandwiches. She carefully lowered herself into the empty armchair across from them, resting her hands on her heavily pregnant belly.

'Cream and sugar?' Pansy asked, pulling her wand out from up her sleeve and giving it a wave towards the tea tray.

'Just cream,' Hermione answered, accepting the book from Lucas before he scrambled up onto the couch to sit beside her.

'Read to me?' Lucas asked, his eyes wide and pleading.

Hermione glanced at the cover. It was a children's book about Quidditch. She should have guessed it would be something to do with sports. Harry, Lucas and Ron were still as preoccupied with Quidditch as they had ever been. It was just fortunate for her that Pansy neither enjoyed Quidditch, nor did she encourage her boys to follow it fanatically. Lucas and Harry were alike in almost every way, meanwhile Noah was more reserved and preferred to follow his mother around their chambers like a little baby duck. It was rather sweet, she thought.

By the time she had reached the end of the book, Hermione felt relieved that it was quite short. She was reminded just why it was that she disliked wizarding children's literature – the modern ones at the very least. _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ was a classic and one that would be hard to match. She still kept the copy bequeathed to her in Dumbledore's will in her library.

'So… how is the baby going in there?' Hermione asked Pansy as Lucas left with his book, holding Noah's hand and tugging him in the direction of their room to play.

'Brilliant,' Pansy replied, rolling her eyes in sarcasm. 'I am already overdue by three days, but Poppy assures me that it's perfectly normal. I just wish she would hurry up and get out. Both of the boys were in such a hurry to come, meanwhile this little one here is dawdling.'

'At least she'll be a healthy girl,' Hermione replied with a chuckle.

'I'll say,' the blonde replied.

Hermione leaned over to grab a sandwich just as the door to the chambers opened and Harry walked in.

'Hello, Hermione,' he greeted with his usual wide, boyish grin.

She smiled back at him, watching as he stopped by his wife to drop a kiss on her forehead in greeting before he joined her on the lounge. He reached over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and she did so in return with an amused smile on her own lips.

'So, what brings you here this blustery winter's day?' Harry asked.

'I've got a week off work between jobs and I was going a little barmy at home by myself. I decided that socialising was in order,' she replied. 'I was hoping to see Minerva at some point during my visit, too.'

'She knows you're here,' Harry said. 'I told her you were stopping by today when I saw her at the staff meeting last night. She mentioned something about stopping by here to see you this afternoon.'

'Excellent,' Hermione said, delighted.

'So, have you spoken to Ron since the end of the trial?' he asked curiously.

'You know I don't really see Ron socially any more,' she replied, frowning. 'In fact, the only people I have seen since the end of the trial are my employers, you, Pansy, the children, and the handful of students who were all gawking at me in the hall as I made my way up here.'

'So, you haven't seen Neville at all either?' Pansy asked with a smirk. 'From what I recall, a couple of months ago you were very interested in getting information out of Harry about him.'

'A couple of months ago I wasn't thinking straight, clearly,' she murmured, her cheeks going pink. 'I've had to be more sensible about my curiosity since then.'

'I thought the reason you were asking so many questions concerning him was because you were attracted to him,' Harry teased.

Hermione felt her face flush anew. 'I might be attracted to him, but that doesn't mean I want to be in a relationship right now,' she said defensively.

'If not now, when? From what you've told us, you haven't been in any sort of relationship, short or long, since Ron,' Harry pointed out dryly. 'Neville is a great bloke. He'd do well by you.'

'I know what kind of bloke he is,' Hermione said with a sigh. 'But relationships are messy and complicated. I've just been promoted at work, and before then he was my colleague. It would have been inappropriate.'

Harry and Pansy snorted simultaneously.

'Where is your sense of danger?' Pansy exclaimed. 'Adventure? You were far more reckless when we were still students.'

'Only because it was necessary,' Hermione argued. 'It's just not the right time.'

'Stuff the right bloody time,' Harry said firmly. 'I know that what Ron did hurt you a lot, but that was seven years ago. It's time for you to get back up on that horse and take a chance on someone again. I can tell you like Neville a whole lot more than you are letting on, Hermione.'

Hermione sat and stared at the fire, unblinking and in silent thought. It was true – she was scared of getting involved with anyone. Every time she tried to convince herself that the only reason she kept Neville at a distance was because they worked together, another part of her screamed 'liar'. Ron had hurt her, and while she no longer harboured any sort of feelings for him, the hurt he'd caused had left scars. And those scars were what kept her from letting anyone in. Without trust, there was no relationship.

'I just don't know if I can allow myself to trust anyone with my feeling again,' Hermione admitted to her friends finally.

'What's the worst that could happen? You've already had your heart broken before. If it were to happen again, you'd be better equipped to handle it.'

'But then I'd be back at square one again,' she said.

'And we'd be right here with you to help you pick up the pieces,' Harry said, reaching a hand up to brush a lock of hair from her eyes.

Hermione smiled at him, opening her mouth to speak when a knock sounded at the door. to the Potters' chambers. Pansy moved to stand, but Harry forestalled her with a hand, hauling himself up from the lounge instead and going to answer the door. He opened it a crack to begin with before widening it to allow Minerva McGonagall passage into the sitting room.

'Hermione! It's so good to see you!' Minerva exclaimed immediately, claiming the spot on the lounge that Harry had been occupying.

'It's good to see you as well, Minerva,' Hermione replied, accepting the older woman's one-armed embrace. 'How have you been?'

'Oh you know, busy running a school,' she said with a dry chuckle. 'I never quite realised just how much of the work Albus used to delegate to me when I was the Deputy until I became Headmistress. I used to do nearly everything his job entailed while he barely did the basics. Granted, he was trying to fight a war at the time and run the Order of the Phoenix in the last few years of his life.'

'I don't suppose you make poor Professor Flitwick do everything for you now?' Hermione asked.

Minerva shook her head. 'I never make him do more than I think he can handle and only delegate when needed. Harry here always volunteers assistance when I need it also. I appointed Filius the Deputy when I became Headmistress because there was no one else who would take the role. Now that Filius is planning to retire I will pass the role to Harry. It is nice that he has a few years of teaching experience under his belt.'

Hermione beamed and looked over at her friend. 'You never told me!' she exclaimed.

'It never came up,' Harry said, blushing profusely.

Not a moment later, the two boys came barrelling out of their room excitedly and Harry ordered lunch to be sent up by the house-elves. As she sat amidst the cheerful group, Hermione took a moment to reflect on the earlier conversation with Harry and Pansy. Perhaps they were right? Not every man would be as untrustworthy as Ronald Weasley had turned out to be. Perhaps it was time to get back up and try to make a connection with someone.

She watched as the two boys clapped cheerfully as a tray of sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, teacakes, biscuits and fresh fruit. They were such sweet children, and they were such a happy, beautiful family. This was the thing she was missing out on by staying out of the game. While she got a lot of fulfilment from her work and her own achievements, there was something wanting. She had never wanted to have a lot of children, but she'd always thought she'd have one or two some day.

'Dig in, Hermione,' Harry said, proffering a plate towards her so that she could eat.

She took the plate and settled down with a scone that was smothered with jam and cream. Hermione smiled then, wondering how she had managed to find such wonderful friends.

The rest of the afternoon was spent nibbling on the food, laughing, sharing old stories of the time long past, and catching up on recent events. No one mentioned Hermione's problem with letting people in again. Apparently it went unsaid that her private life was her own to share and she appreciated this discretion on the part of Harry and. She might confide in Minerva one day, but for the time being , she was happy to spend a little while not thinking about relationships.

As the sun began to set in the sky, Hermione decided it was time for her to go home. The two boys gave her hugs, kisses and promises to be good for their parents. She promised Pansy that no matter what she was doing, she would drop everything and to be at the birth of their daughter, as soon as possible. Minerva also extracted a promise that Hermione would write to her more often about the goings-on in her life. She made so many promises, she hoped that she would be able to keep all of them.

A short while later, as she walked through the school grounds towards Hogsmeade; she reflected that this visit with her friends had been an extremely enlightening one. Now she would go home to the townhouse that she shared with no one, and give more thought to the idea of allowing someone else into her life. Besides, her friends had rightly pointed out one important piece of information that day and it was this – that she had them by her side always. And while this was a comfort in some ways, she realised that it had negatively impacted her also.

She needed their support, but also felt that having them to rely upon kept her so safe that she didn't feel the need to seek out other friends or build new relationships.

On the whole, there was much thinking that needed to be done concerning the direction of the next period of her life. Either way, no matter how she felt, or what she decided, there was still the possibility that Neville would not be interested in her as well. Arming herself with the possibility that she would be going into it with much to loose was better than making a fool out of herself in front of someone she respected, and yes, had strong feelings for.

She shook her head and continued on her way home. The last thing she wanted to do was getting caught up in this blizzard and she most certainly would if she continued to dally in the weather. Once she was well and truly past the school gates, she _Apparated _with a soft 'pop'.

* * *

To be continued.


	12. Chapter 12: Running

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to my beta DHLane, for all of her help with this chapter.

* * *

The click of her heels against the marble floor rang in her ears; a sound she had become familiar with over the past few months.

As Hermione walked in a direct line towards the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she took note of just how many people were trying to subtly stare at her on their way past. They were as bad as the Hogwarts students, gawking at her as though she had not been working there over the past three months. She had received a lot of press because of the Malfoy trial and as such, people were staring at her wherever she went these days. Rolling her eyes, she pressed on, walking through the door into the office.

As per usual, the witch at the front desk ignored her, which comforted Hermione somewhat. At least the woman was consistent. Without a single word, she headed straight to Kingsley's office at the back. As she approached, she spared a glance towards Neville's office and found that the shutters were closed and the light was off. With a somewhat disappointed sigh, she knocked on the door before her crisply.

A moment later Kingsley appeared before her with a broad smile. He allowed her to pass him and enter the room before closing the door behind them. When they were both seated on either side of his large desk, he clasped his hands together on the table before him and looked at her expectantly.

'So, what can I do for you today, Hermione?' Kingsley asked, crooking a thick, dark eyebrow at her.

'I have some paperwork for the Malfoy trial that I need you to look over and sign,' she answered immediately. 'Just trying to tie up any loose ends for my firms files and for the Ministry archives.'

'Ah, yes,' he replied with a nod. 'Well I certainly wont be able to put off any official Ministry paperwork. If you give it to me now I can have it done for you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.'

Hermione nodded and picked up her briefcase, entering the combination and pulling out the various documents needed before sliding them Kingsley.

'This is everything I will need signed for both. I have attached markers to each section indicating where I need a signature and date,' she explained. 'I can come back tomorrow to collect them, unless you'd prefer to send them either to my office or house.'

'Excellent,' Kingsley announced. 'Now, if I'm not mistaken, congratulations are in order? I heard you were promoted to partner and offered a share in the firm?'

Hermione flushed with pleasure and nodded. 'You heard correctly,' she replied. 'It's a huge step up in responsibility, and I'll have to hire a personal assistant soon, or so I have been told.'

'That sounds like it's going to be a rough job,' he commented.

'I'm looking forward to the challenge,' she said with an excited grin.

'I expect I shall be seeing more of you now that it seems you will be a permanent fixture here in London?' he asked.

'I will most likely be doing a lot of liaising for the firm,' Hermione answered with a nod and a smile.

'Perhaps, if you were amicable, we could have dinner some time when you aren't busy,' Kingsley said, startling her with his forwardness.

She was stunned speechless for a moment before she regained her senses and her mind started turning over what he had just said. She had absolutely no idea why she had never noticed him being overly friendly. She wanted to hit herself in the head for being so obtuse once again. She had to come up with some excuse really quickly – saying that it would be inappropriate probably wouldn't cut it in this instance.

'Kingsley, I am flattered…' she began, but he halted her with a raised hand and a nod.

'I don't require an explanation, Hermione,' he said with a chuckle. 'I just thought you ought to be aware that you are a very beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to have a smart, desirable woman such as yourself.'

Hermione blushed to the roots of her hair. Unable to think of anything smart to say she simply murmured a quick 'thank you'.

'Right, well I won't keep you from the rest of your day,' Kingsley announced, completely unshaken by her refusal. 'I'd better get started on the reading if I'm going to have it done by tomorrow afternoon.'

Knowing when she was being dismissed, Hermione closed her briefcase and stood, holding a hand out to Kingsley. He smiled warmly and accepted the handshake with his own large, rough hand. After she let go, she nodded and turned on her heel, trying not to run from his office like she desperately wanted to.

'Thank you for all of your help,' she said quickly before opening the door and slipping outside.

After shutting the door behind her, she took a moment to compose herself. Taking a deep, calming breath, she turned around to leave, only to come face to face with the one person she simultaneously wanted to see, but also desperately wanted to keep her distance from – especially after her awkward conversation with Kingsley. Neville flashed her a brilliant smile however, and it sucked the air from her lungs and left her feeling unguarded, with legs like jelly.

'Hello,' she said softly.

'Hello, Hermione,' Neville replied, taking a step towards her.

'How have you been?' she asked, looking down at her feet.

'Great,' he answered. 'Have you been busy these past couple of weeks?'

Hermione looked up at him and nodded. 'I had a week off between jobs, so I spent a lot of time catching up on some recreational reading and visiting with friends,' she said quietly.

'Congratulations on your promotion by the way,' Neville said, taking another step towards her. 'Do you have time for a cup of tea? Or have I caught you at a bad time?'

Hermione immediately tensed, conflicted as ever whenever she was around him. Much as she desired to stay and spend a little time catching up with him, she was afraid that if she did, she would be unable to hide her attraction from him. Another voice in her head reminded her of Harry's words to her recently also. She should be more willing to take risks with people – not everyone was untrustworthy and bad. And Neville was as good as a person could be. Realising that she'd paused for too long, she looked up into Neville's hazel eyes and automatically knew that she was lost.

'I'd love a cup of tea,' she replied.

Neville flashed another smile at her and led the way into his office, switching on the lights and closing the door behind her. He ushered her into one of the chairs at his desk and turned on the small portable stove on the bench in the corner of the room, placing a kettle full of water atop it. Instead of taking a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk, Neville sat in the free chair beside her while they waited for the water to boil.

Hermione glanced at him, unsure of what to do or say. For someone who was normally so composed and confident, every time she was around Neville she turned into a bumbling idiot. She felt her cheeks heat and turn red when his eyes met hers. She had to prevent the gasp from escaping her when she realised that his cheeks were stained red also.

'Hermione, I want you to know that I didn't just ask you in here for tea,' he said, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

Hermione felt her words catch in her throat for a moment before she coughed to clear it. 'Oh?' she croaked out.

'I understand that when we were working together, the idea of us seeing each other in a social capacity would have been inappropriate and might have made you uncomfortable…' he explained.

'I think I know where you are going with this, Neville,' she said, cutting him off, her old reflexes kicking in. 'I-I don't think this is a very good idea.'

'Where do you think I am trying to go with this?' he asked.

'You have to understand, I don't think I will be able to give you what it is that you want,' she said, inwardly cursing herself for being so stupid.

'And what is it that you think I want?'

'A relationship,' she whispered, her heart and stomach tightening in fear.

'I am attracted to you, Hermione. I like you and I've come to care for you,' he said with a fierce look in his eyes. 'And if I'm right, you feel the same way that I do.'

She could hide it from him no longer. 'Yes,' she murmured softly.

'There is not a single reason I can see for us not to make a go of something together,' he argued fervently. 'I don't understand why you have been fighting to keep a distance between us this entire time.'

Hermione felt panic kick in. Why did he have to confront her this way? What was happening to the men in this department? It was like jumping out of the frying pan with Kingsley and straight into Neville's fire. He had her backed into a very tight corner and she was finding that the barriers were beginning to crumble. She was about to open her mouth to speak when the kettle began to whistle loudly in the corner.

Neville immediately stood and grabbed the kettle before pouring boiling water into the teapot, sprinkling some dark leaves in to steep. He carried the pot and two mugs over before resuming his seat beside her.

'I've made my argument,' he said softly, breaking the silence. 'What are your thoughts?'

'Well, apparently there is no point trying to convince you that I don't feel something for you,' she said, all in a rush. 'It's just I don't - I'm not sure I am ready for another relationship. After what happened with Ron…'

'I'm not Ron Weasley,' Neville said, his brow furrowed slightly. 'It's been seven years since he hurt you, and I know that kind of hurt doesn't just go away, but don't you think it's time to let go? Don't you want to give us a chance?'

Despite wanting to give in and give a relationship a try, the terror of letting someone in overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stood, almost knocking her chair over in the process. She went for the door and clasped the handle, about to turn it when she felt Neville come up behind her swiftly and wrap his hand around hers, halting her departure. She released the handle at his insistence and without missing a beat, he spun her around to face him, her body pressed flush to the door by his long, firm frame.

Hermione looked up into his eyes and gasped at how dark his eyes were.

'I'm going to kiss you, Hermione,' he said softly, inclining his head towards hers slowly.

'Okay,' she whispered, exhaling slowly; shakily, her entire being giving in to the inevitable finally.

Neville released her hand and put both of his hands to her shoulders, pulling her towards him. The warmth of his breath washed over her lips until his mouth hovered so close, their lips were almost touching. Just as she was beginning to think the kiss would never happen, his lips connected with hers, and her breath left her completely. If he had not been clutching her to him with his strong arms, she was certain her legs would not have supported her. She felt him withdraw a moment later and could not help but to follow his lips with her own.

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest before he captured her lips with his own for a second kiss. This kiss caught even faster than the first, one of his hands plunging into her hair, tilting her head for a better fit. She squeaked in surprise when his tongue touched her lips, seeking entrance. After a moment of hesitation, she allowed him entry and his tongue slid past her lips, touching hers briefly before withdrawing again. He gently released her lips a short while later, taking a step backwards, his breathing heavy.

'So,' he said a little breathlessly. 'Will you go to dinner with me now?'

Hermione laughed softly, leaning heavily against the door behind her. 'How could I refuse such a request now?' she replied.

The smile he flashed her was the same mysterious smile that she had become so familiar with over the past few months. It immediately became clear to her what it meant. She put as much feeling into her answering smile. He took her hand then, leading them back over to the desk and gestured for her to resume her seat. He sat beside her once more and poured a mug of tea for each of them.

'Thank you,' she said, accepting the mug he passed her.

He smiled warmly in response. 'I meant to ask you earlier, but what brought you here today?' he asked, taking a sip of the hot liquid.

'I was actually bringing paperwork over for Kingsley to sign and look over for me,' she answered, suddenly reminded of her earlier meeting. She flushed, which made Neville quirk an eyebrow at her curiously.

'Did something else unexpected happen in your meeting with Kingsley?' he asked, which only caused her to turn a brighter shade and nod, staring at her mug.

'Kingsley asked me on a date,' she whispered so softly she hoped he wouldn't hear her.

Apparently he had the hearing of a bat. 'I should have known he would do that,' Neville said with a chuckle. 'He has been talking about you far to often for it to have been a coincidence.'

'Why didn't you say anything?' she said, snapping her eyes up to look at him.

'To what end?' he asked. 'Would you have said yes or liked him more if you had known he was interested in you before now?'

'No, I suppose not,' she answered with a sigh. 'It caught me rather by surprise. I hope I didn't offend him when I refused.'

'I'm certainly glad you did,' Neville said, reaching over to touch her free hand.

Hermione turned her hand over and linked her fingers with his loosely. They sat there like that as they finished their tea, both unwilling to let go of the other with any haste. Eventually Hermione realised she would have to get back to work. She had letters to write and had many job applications to sort through before setting up interviews for her personal assistant.

She stood and Neville saw her to the door, dropping his head down to steal another sublime kiss from her. Hermione left the Ministry that day in a bit of a haze, unable to believe what had happened. As she made her way to the main hall to Apparate, she smiled to herself.

Life had certainly taken an interesting turn – she just hoped it was a good one.

* * *

To be continued.


	13. Chapter 13: Romance

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks to DHLane for her assistance with this chapter.

* * *

The clouds in the sky were thick and white, drifting by slowly as the rest of the world continued on below.

Hermione stared at the clouds as they rolled past, trying to turn each of them into a shape with her mind. After a while she gave up, realising that they were just clouds, and the game she had played as a child no longer held a fascination to her. Rolling her head to the side, she gazed at the man beside her fondly. His eyes were closed and there was peacefulness about him as he slept which she found incredible. He'd had a pretty hard life being brought up by his grandmother instead of the parents who didn't even know he was their son.

With things as they were between Hermione and her parents, she couldn't imagine a world without them, having experienced them not knowing who she was during her year on the run from the Dark Lord with Harry and Ron.

Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and reflected back on the past few weeks. Since that day in the Ministry when Neville had confronted her, kissed her and convinced her to give him a chance, the two of them had been on several dates, fitting them in when they weren't both preoccupied with work.

On their first date, Neville had taken her to a restaurant in Muggle London, offering her a chance to keep their relationship between the two of them while it was still in it's fledgling state. She had appreciated this discretion and thoughtfulness on his part, endearing him to her even further. He had walked her to her door and kissed her lingeringly before leaving.

Their second date had consisted of wandering through Tate Britain, one of Hermione's favourite art galleries that she used to visit with her family when she had been growing up. She had mentioned it briefly in a conversation with him once, and he had remembered and surprised her with a day trip through Muggle London. At the end of that date, he had once more escorted her home, kissed her at the door and left.

A couple more dates followed, each one ending with the same sublime kiss followed by his polite departure.

While Hermione understood that this was only just the beginning, she still ached for something more – a little more contact. Their first kisses in his office had involved more contact than the kisses they had shared since. She wanted him to sweep her off her feet and throw her onto the chaise lounge in her sitting room and snog her until she was senseless. But each time she wanted to say something, she lost her nerve and simply bid him goodbye.

Hermione knew it was just as much her fault as it was his. They were both so inexperienced with relationships – still awkward and stumbling around a little.

Despite all of that, Neville was an extremely attentive and thoughtful date. He went out of his way to make it special and fun, which she appreciated. That day, in fact, he had packed a picnic basket and led her to a quiet park near her house that she had never visited, spread out a large blanket with an in-built cushioning charm, and fed her with his own hands. They had eaten fresh fruit, ham, cheeses and fresh-baked bread. It had been delicious and fulfilling for both of them.

Opening her eyes once more, she looked over to see there was a slight smile curving his lips. She had a feeling he was dreaming of something good.

Feeling a little sluggish herself, Hermione closed her eyes again and felt sleep begin to take hold of her. Clasping her wand tight in her hand, she allowed herself to be dragged into the depths of sleep for a while.

When she woke up, she rubbed her eyes, clearing the sleep from them and blinking rapidly. She had no idea what time it was – only that it was some time in the afternoon by that point. The colour of the sky was beginning to turn a deep orange with a touch of pink and purple at the edges. It was nearing sunset. Sitting up slowly, she turned to look beside her and saw that Neville was sitting up with a book in his lap, his brows furrowed in concentration.

She smiled at the sight, thinking that it was so unlike the boy she had gone to school with to be reading anything for pleasure.

'What's that you're reading?' she asked, startling him.

He looked at her with wide eyes and she chuckled. 'It's actually a manual Kingsley gave me on paperwork protocol for work,' he answered, marking his page and shutting the book. 'Did you have a good nap?'

She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and nodded. 'How long did I sleep?' she asked.

'About three hours,' he answered. 'I woke up shortly after you passed out and I've been reading and watching over you since.'

Hermione blushed. 'I didn't intend to sleep for so long. I'm sorry,' she said, embarrassed.

Neville waved her off, leaning in towards her and stealing a kiss from her surprised lips. 'I fell asleep also if I recall, and you didn't complain at all. It is a beautiful, clear day – perfect weather for sleeping outdoors. Besides, I am glad you felt comfortable enough around me to fall asleep.'

Hermione smiled. 'I trust you with my life,' she replied.

'You have no idea how much that means to me,' he said, leaning in and covering her lips with his for another kiss.

Hermione responded with fervour, wrapping her arms around his neck, not caring that they were in public where anyone could see them. She let her tongue touch his lips, seeking entry and receiving it immediately. She had learned the art of French kissing while abroad and was quite pleased with her technique. Apparently Neville also approved, if his soft moan was anything to go by. He wasn't too bad at kissing himself – a little raw and untutored, but he was a quick study and had improved almost immediately.

After a few minutes of heated snogging, he pulled away and simply wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him.

'It's going to get dark pretty soon,' he said, his voice still a little husky. 'I should take you home.'

Hermione nodded and they stood, packing everything back into the picnic basket the Muggle way. Hand in hand, they walked the short distance back to her townhouse and he walked her through the front gate and up to her front door as per usual. As usual, he leaned in and kissed her until her toes curled before he pulled back to say goodbye.

'Would you like to come in?' she asked, reaching out to grasp his hand and stall his departure.

'I think it might be best if I didn't just yet,' he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. 'I have enjoyed the time we've spent together so far. I don't want to ruin that by rushing things that don't need to be rushed.'

Hermione frowned. 'It wouldn't be disrespectful at all for you to come in, I promise,' she urged, trying to pull him towards her.

He smiled and shook his head. 'It's not that I do not desire you – you are a beautiful and desirable woman, Hermione. I just – this relationship means something to me, and I want to wait a little longer, to see if it has long-term potential first.'

Hermione let go of his hand then, dropping it to her side. Inwardly she was annoyed, angry even. She wanted to take things a little further with him – it wasn't as though she was trying to force him to have sex with her. She just wanted to touch him a little and get a feel for some of the parts that were inappropriate to touch out in public. Surely he wasn't made of stone?

She looked at his face again and saw that there was no changing his mind. Resigned, she nodded a little stiffly and went to her door, opening it and turning to look at him once more before going inside.

'Goodnight, Hermione,' he said, looking at her with a trace of confusion.

'Goodnight,' she replied, a little curtly, allowing some of her displeasure to show just before she closed the door and locked it, resting against it heavily.

Closing her eyes she let a sigh escape her. It came out like a groan of annoyance and she didn't try to stop herself from being irate. It had been a long time since she had been close to anyone. She hadn't even slept with anyone in more than two years. Frustration had been building in her ever since their first kiss. It was threatening to drive her mad.

Pushing herself away from the door, she walked through the house to the kitchen, waving her wand to switch on the lights as she did.

She went straight to the phone line she had set up in order to make phone calls to her parents and picked it up, immediately dialling their number. It rang for a few seconds before finally someone picked up and she smiled when she heard her father answer on the other end.

'Hi Daddy, it's me,' she murmured. 'How are you?'

'I'm just fine, poppet,' he replied cheerfully. 'What have you been getting up to? Busy ever since your promotion, hmmm?'

'Something like that,' she answered. 'Is Mum there? I need to speak to her about something.'

She thanked Merlin her father didn't press her for details. He merely passed her off to her mother after telling her that he loved her.

'Hello, darling,' her mother greeted. 'What can I do for you today?'

'I'm having boy trouble,' she answered immediately.

Her mother chuckled. 'Tell me all about it.'

'You remember that conversation we had about Neville Longbottom some time ago?' she asked.

'Yes…'

'Well, a few weeks ago we sort of started seeing one another,' Hermione said all in a rush. 'I know it's still early yet, but he's been very respectful – a little too respectful as it were. I tried to invite him in with the intent to explore a little more and he just rejected my advances.'

'And now you are irritated with him and frustrated with yourself, correct?' her mother asked.

'Very,' she replied. 'I just wish he wasn't so damned polite. I don't necessarily want to sleep with him – just get a little more hands on and close. Something.'

Ruth laughed again. 'Darling, in situations such as these, it's better to wait just a little longer, make yourself irresistibly tempting and seduce him through your door,' she pointed out. 'Tempt him with the offer of tea and a massage, perhaps?'

'That might not even be on the cards after the way I acted towards him and shut the door in his face this afternoon.'

Ruth tutted her daughter from the other end of the line. Hermione could almost see her shaking her head.

'If he is really serious about you, he won't hold it against you,' she said wisely. 'He'll probably even try to get into contact with you today, if he truly cares.'

Hermione reflected that perhaps there was some truth in what her mother was saying. Sighing heavily, she admitted to herself that she might have overreacted to something that could have been solved if she had simply told him how she felt rather than storming off in a strop.

'I guess I'll wait and see,' Hermione said grumpily. 'I am still relatively annoyed though, so it might take a few days to cool off to the point where I might be receptive to some form of contact.'

'You have your father's temper, my love,' Ruth said, chuckling softly on the other end of the line.

'I know,' Hermione said, smiling to herself.

'Give it a few days and see how you feel. If this Neville is what you say, he'll be banging down the door to find out what's wrong with you.'

'Okay.'

They exchanged pleasantries for a few more minutes then before Hermione hung up the phone and sat down at the kitchen table alone. Not two minutes had gone by when she heard a tapping noise coming from her kitchen window. She looked over and saw a lovely grey barn owl sitting on the windowsill, waiting to be let inside. She walked over and opened it, only for the owl to immediately hold a leg out to her with a note attached in familiar script. She took the letter and gave the bird a pet, allowing it to nibble her fingers affectionately. She summoned a bag of treats over and fed him one before opening the folded parchment.

_Hermione, _

_I just wanted to check that you were okay. You seemed… out of sorts this afternoon when I left you a short while ago. If I have done anything to upset or offend you, please, I apologise and hope that you will see a way to forgive me. Please let me know that you are all right. _

_Neville_

She frowned and tossed the paper onto the bench and summoned a small piece of parchment and a quill initially, but once they were in her hands, she decided against writing back to him. He could wait for a response. She simply wasn't in the mood to communicate with anyone else that day. Giving the owl one last caress, she sent it back to Neville without a letter and closed the window.

Deciding that she needed to get clean, she went upstairs and prepared a bath, adding soaps and bath salts to the water as it filled the tub. Dipping her toe in, she adjusted the temperature to her liking with a wave of her wand before undressing. She slipped into the tub, hissing a little as the heat enveloped her slowly. After she made herself comfortable, she waved her hand to dim the lights and closed her eyes, settling back to soak for a while.

She let all of her troubles from the day slip away from her temporarily; allowing herself to truly enjoy the way the heat eased all of the tension from her muscles. And as she lay there in the tub, she reflected on why she had thought it would be a good idea to let another person into her life. It was just as she had told Harry when she explained her reasons for avoiding relationships – they were just too messy and complicated.

As she felt herself drift off to sleep for the second time that day, she wondered if she was truly even ready to have a relationship again.

* * *

To be continued.


End file.
